advent devotionals
Memorize: Psalm 139:14
I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
Read: Psalm 139:1-14, Psalm 104
Reflect:
Advent calls us to prepare for the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ, yet often times our preparation is filled with the stress of planning and busyness. We don’t even take a full day to give thanks, as many race off Thanksgiving evening to find the deals. We race into December facing a to-do list of shopping, cooking, wrapping, and working...so that we can enjoy the birth of God's son?
Let’s think about this – Does our preparation have the wrong focus and the wrong feeling. Psalms 104 & 139 encourages us to pause in the midst of our preparation and consider the question, "Who am I preparing for?" Are we preparing for the arrival of Our Savior, or for the world's expectations of Christmas?
I hope today we choose to prepare for Jesus! When we do, our preparations are less about doing and more about being. We begin to prepare with praise to God for the intimacy that He has with each of us. We wake up each day with less attention on what needs done during Advent and more attention on what's been done through God's power.
Apply:
How does your thinking & planning change when you reflect on the power of your creator…your All-knowing, Ever-present God, who made you and wants an active, personal relationship with you?
Pray:
Father God, today I offer my praise for all that you have done, will do, and continue to do in my life. Help me to prepare for the things that matter and ignore the demands of this Adventseason that pull me away from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
November 27
November 28
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
welcome home!
Read Zephaniah 3:18-20
“The accumulated sorrows of your exile

will dissipate.
I, your God, will get rid of them for you.

You’ve carried those burdens long enough.

At the same time, I’ll get rid of all those

who’ve made your life miserable.
I’ll heal the maimed;

I’ll bring home the homeless.

In the very countries where they were hated

they will be venerated.
On Judgment Day

I’ll bring you back home—a great family gathering!

You’ll be famous and honored

all over the world.
You’ll see it with your own eyes—

all those painful partings turned into reunions!Ӊ۬
God’s Promise. [MSG]
Reflect:
There is absolutely nothing better than coming home and walking through my front door! The warmth, comfort and peace (well maybe not too much peace with two dogs and two cats) that await me are almost indescribable. But what if I couldn’t come home, maybe never? At this moment I'm thinking about the thousands of refugees around the world who have fled their countries because it is not safe to go home. In fact, they will surely die upon going home. I can’t even begin to imagine how they feel.
The Israelites understood the Syrian’s sense of longing-for-home when they were exiled in Babylon for 70 years of captivity. For three generations they protected their Jewish culture and identity and longed for the day they could return to their own land.
Today many of us live a very comfortable lifestyle, and we can easily buy into the illusion that complete happiness is possible in this world as it is. But then something happens to shake us up – perhaps we lose a loved one, or lose a job, or are diagnosed with a serious illness. We then experience a reality check and discover that it’s a mistake for us to expect complete happiness right now on Earth. We were made for something better; we were made for eternity. The kingdom of God is our real home, and on the future side of Advent when it comes in all its glory, that’s when we’ll experience the purest joy in hearing, “Welcome home!”
Apply:
What are you seeking here on Earth to bring you happiness? Relationships? Money? Status? Career? Mediate on this verse for a moment and journal your thoughts about it - For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Hebrews 13:14 [NLT]
Pray:
Dear God, help me to focus on the world that is yet to come instead of buying into the permanence of this world. I want to rejoice because you are leading me through this world to my eventual eternal home. I’ll bring you back home—a great family gathering!
 Zephaniah 3:20a