Tag: Israel

Magnify Him

Twenty-fourth Day of Advent

‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭39-56‬ ESV

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. (‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭39-56‬ ESV) ‬‬‬

I LOVE worshipping with young people, with the abandon that comes when a teenager has, at last, received confirmation that the Lord is GOOD, that He is Who He says He Is, and that she belongs to Him.

Every Jewish girl, every night: Lord, make me a woman fit to bear Messiah. This angel – this story – IT HAPPENED, it was more reality than any other day. But if it’s true, then Cousin Elizabeth will understand. This will make sense. I’m going there to see her – NOW; I’m keeping this secret for now… So to the hill country – Hebron? – she travels, she knocks. Elizabeth shouts. IT’S REAL – YOUR WORD IS REAL – IT’S ALL TRUE – YOU ARE SO GOOD!

And out spills this song – the Magnificat – from a poor, young girl. The overflow of a heart that KNOWS His goodness. This, perhaps the most profound song in all the Bible.

This Christmas, count His goodness to YOU, to your family. He has indeed filled us with good things.

Sing THIS song. Sing YOUR song. Sing it every day to your children, your grandchildren. SHOUT it to this hurting, broken world. Magnify Him. He has indeed filled us with good things. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Sandi Faulk

Re: Verse reading – John 8:31-47

Newborn Hope

Twenty-third Day of Advent

Luke 1:67-79New International Version (NIV)

Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

What parent hasn’t held their newborn child for the first time and spoken to them words of love, full of hope for their future. It was no different for Zechariah. But Zechariah’s words were different, they were prophetic. His son John was given an assignment by God – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17). This would not involve repaving streets throughout Judea or cleaning up storefronts or eloquent speeches presented before a crowd of well-dressed people. No, John would prepare the people by giving them “knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” How do you prepare people for a message of salvation? You help them see their need for a Savior. John would awaken hearts long dead to personal sin, comfortable in their self-righteousness. He would prepare them for their Savior by causing them to see their sin and calling them to repentance. What will you do to prepare your heart today? Start by presenting to Him a clean heart. He deserves nothing less. Jesus died so that you could experience the embrace of your Heavenly Father as He speaks to you words of love, full of hope for your future.

Emily Cox

Re: Verse reading – John 8:31-47

Don’t Miss Him

Twenty-second Day of Advent

Micah 5:2-4 (ESV)

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Unsuspecting. Humble. Small. Modest. Undistinguished. Ignoble.

The world could use any or all of these words to describe the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Think about it. He was born in Bethlehem…a shepherd’s town. He was born in a manger…not even your grandpa’s barn. He is compared to a shepherd…not exactly a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. His triumphal entry was made on a donkey….not quite Aladdin’s entrance to meet Jasmine. It’s really no wonder so many people missed the boat. They were looking for someone born of a king in a palace and introduced to the world with fanfare and fireworks.

And don’t we often make the same mistake? I so often look for God to speak in a billboard or a red-lettered memo or in a sermon where the Pastor says, “Tiffini, this is for you.” But instead I most often FIND God in whispers and worship songs and friends’ encouragement.

The world missed His birth because it looked too lowly to be the Messiah. They missed His life because He laid His head in the homes of acquaintances. They missed His death because it was no different than a criminal’s. The Old Testament is fraught with prophecies and don’t-miss-what-I’m-about-to-do warnings of how Jesus would come not from “just a carpenter” but from the lineage of King David, how He would not have a home but that His home was the place God intended for Him to spread the Gospel message, how He would not die as a criminal but as a sacrificial lamb for the atonement of the world’s sins.

So this Christmas I will choose to look for Jesus Christ not in extravagant department store displays or grand parades with blimps of every imaginable character. I will instead look for Him in my heart, in my children’s hearts, in the sweet words of an Advent devotional book, under the tree in a bed made of straw with the eyes of the shepherds upon Him. And my guess is that I will use different words to describe what I find….

Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace.

Tiffini Greer

Re: Verse reading – John 6:25-51

He Never Fails

Fifth Day of Advent

Isaiah 40:27-31 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
27 Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.

We are prone to spiritual weakness. We are prone to stumble in our faith. Isaiah 40:29-31 gives us a picture of our weakness and the strength and endurance that we lack as human beings. There are times that we all come upon that challenge in our faith. There are times that we find out just how weak we are. We face an unrelenting enemy that seeks to devour us at every turn.

This text uses the analogy of a “youth”; i.e. someone in the prime of his or her life. This is usually a time when someone is at his or her greatest prowess. Yet, there is a certainty of stumbling and falling in the text. It is the same for us spiritually. At our strongest point, we are weak. The idea is that even the strongest of us will surely fall. We are prone to weakness. Even the greatest theologian in the world is going to fail in faith.

There is a promise within this text, though. Verses 28 and 29 give us a base of understanding for verse 31. God will never fail. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Though our faith fails sometimes, God does not. He never faints. He never gets weary. We need strength, and God gives that to us. There are times that we will grow weary. There are times that we will faint and we will be weak. But the Lord renews us. He gives us the strength that we need to rise back up and begin running again.

Our prayer for you today is that you would rely on the Lord for your strength. May you hope in the Lord and in the strength, renewal, and redemption that He brings as we think of the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Jimmy Gunn

Re: Verse reading – John 1:1-18

Stop

Fourth Day of Advent

Isaiah 30:15-18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
15 For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
“In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses,”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top
And as a signal on a hill.
God Is Gracious and Just
18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.

“In repentance and rest is your salvation.” We don’t believe it—not yet, anyway. As Isaiah says, “You would have none of it.” Someone has said that the fourth commandment (“Remember the Sabbath”) is the only one we brag about breaking: “I’m blowing and going; I’m crazy busy; I’m on autopilot.” We are convinced that if we stop what we’re doing—if we stop attempting to maintain a certain image in the eyes of others; if we stop guiding conversations toward things that we’re comfortable talking about; if we stop comparing ourselves to others; if we stop seeking security in our accomplishments—then we will find ourselves lonely and rejected and unloved. We think we’re running away from such an outcome, but we’re actually running towards it, because we’re thinking like we’ve always thought, which always leads us to a future we dread. We become exactly what we fear. What to do? Stop everything you think you shouldn’t stop. That’s called rest. It isn’t cozy. But you can do it. When you stop (and only when), you will listen, and when you listen—after a time—you will hear God.

Bryan Richardson

Re: Verse reading – John 1:1-18

Watch Expectantly

Second Day of Advent

Micah 7:7 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.

Have you ever looked forward to seeing someone? You wait. You watch. As the anticipation of their arrival grows you begin to pace, stopping occasionally to look out the window. You listen for the sound of a car coming down the street. Finally you see them and you can no longer contain your joy as you rush out to greet them.
The prophet Micah wrote “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.” The people of Israel were in a season of anticipation and longing for the arrival of the Messiah who would save them from their sins.
For us The Messiah has come!
Advent is a time to focus on that coming. Like waiting for someone to arrive it provides us a time clothed in waiting, anticipation and hope.
Advent leads us to remember the hope of God’s people in the Old Testament as they longed and cried out to God for the Messiah, the one who would be their salvation.
Advent leads us to realign our lives with our own desperate need for a Savior to save us from our sins. It reminds us of the cost the Savior paid for our salvation.
Advent leads us to recognize the need to watch and wait with longing like the Israelites as we anticipate His second coming.
Advent leads us to prepare our hearts to invite Christ into our Christmas celebrations. For without the Advent of the Christ, there is no need for a celebration.

Donna Bowman

Re: Verse reading – John 1:1-18

Reconciled by the Cross

Re: Verse reading – Ephesians 2:11-22 (day four)  What was it that separated Israel from the Gentiles?  What was the barrier of the dividing wall (v. 14)?  What was the enmity between them?  Verse 15 says it is the Law of commandments.  Moses received the law following the exodus and preceding entry into the promise land.  It was the Law that established Israel as the people of God.  What was it that reconciled the two groups and put to death the enmity?  Verse 16 says it was the cross…Christ’s death on the cross removed the barriers and made available to both Jew and Gentile access in one Spirit to the Father.  In this scenario, we have the old covenant giving way to the new covenant.  One more question…what was the most important characteristic of the new covenant believers?  It was love.  Read ahead to Revelation 2 to see if the church at Ephesus maintained that characteristic.  How about you?

A Good Word for God

Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 1 (day six) 
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (v 1)
What does the Bible mean when it calls us to bless God?  Paul combined two Greek words.  Eu=“good”.  Logos=“word”.  Eulogetos=“to speak a good word”.  (Think of eulogy, “honor or gratitude usually spoken at a funeral”.)  It is a biblical call to praise!  Those of us who receive from God have a moral obligation to “speak a good word” TO Him (praise) or “speak a good word” ABOUT Him (witness).  David often urged this lesson on the people of Israel.  “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.  Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.” (Psalm 100:1-2)  Not because God needs our approval, but because only gratitude prevents us from becoming spoiled children who receive gifts without any sense of obligation.  We have nothing to give God for His goodness.  Our duty is to speak a good word to/for Him.

Hearing and Obedience

Re: Verse reading – 1 Samuel 15:1-35 (day one) 
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel. . . go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them.”  (v 2)  The basic assumption of our faith is that God speaks and when He does, we are obligated to obey. No protest is allowed for personal or humanitarian reasons.  God is judge.  He is holy and fair in all that He decides–who can doubt this without placing ourselves above Him?  Like the authorities in Romans 13 who are given a “sword” and commanded to use it for good, Saul is obligated to obey and guilty when he fails.  “Faith comes through hearing” says Romans 10:17.  When we hear God, we have the opportunity to trust him.  When we trust God, we have the responsibility to obey Him.  Until I hear, I cannot believe.  Unless I obey, I do not believe.  Hearing =faith.  Faith = obedience.  Always.

Mine eye have seen the GLORY

Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 10:18-19; 11:22-23; 40:1-2; 43:1-9 (day six) 
“And I saw the GLORY of the God of Israel coming from the east.  His voice was the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his GLORY.”  (43:2)  “Mine eyes have seen the GLORY of the coming of the Lord.”—Julia Ward Howe.  Whether civil war song or prophet’s vision, the hope is the same.  Christ will come to His people with great GLORY.  The Hebrew word for GLORY is kabod.  It came from the word kabed which meant “heavy”.  Heavy as compared to plastic or disposable.  A contrast to a world that is not real, substantial and eternal.  Ultimately, His GLORIOUS coming is the only hope for this sin-sick, self-spent world.  God, Himself, will be the light and the justice. “For the Son of Man is going to come in the GLORY of His Father with His angels, and will repay every man according to his deeds.”  (Matthew 16:27)  GLORY? GLORY. Hallelujah!