December 6. Day Ten

December 6 – Micah 5:1-5a Faith. Today, we read an obscure prophet who was told by God that Messiah, Savior of all, would be born in the obscure little town of Bethlehem. I love how God delights in using apparently insignificant places and people. And … don’t you love that God assures us that this Savior will lead His flock like a shepherd? Jesus declared that He was the good Shepherd. He knows us by name and we belong to Him, the sheep of His pasture. There’s such warmth in that. Sheep are pretty clueless and vulnerable on their own, easily falling victim to predators and illnesses. They need a shepherd to care for them. We are just as clueless and vulnerable and small. Let’s […] Read more »

December 5. Day Nine

December 5 – Romans 4:18-25  Faith. We go back in time to one of the greatest faith-believing men of all time: Abraham. Paul truly honors him in this passage, today. Abraham’s faith never ceases to astound me. He waited decades for the fulfillment of the promise that he would have a son who would be the father of an entire nation. He even held on to faith and walked out the impossible command to offer his one and only son as a sacrifice. Yes, there were moments of weakness in Abraham’s life, just like there are in every human’s, but wow. He believed the impossible and as he waited and waited and waited some more … his faith grew even stronger that God was able […] Read more »

Hanging On—Like My Christmas Elf

We’re bringing back for you this Christmas a little story that is one of 100 devotionals found in Sharon’s book, Sweet Selah Moments: Encouragement for Everyday Living. “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” —Isaiah 41:13 NIV Hidden away at the very back of our Christmas tree hangs an elf, his little hand clinging to a tree branch. He’s a scruffy fellow made of pipe cleaners and felt, and he’s not in tip-top condition, poor guy, grimy with age and discolored by countless hands touching him over the years. You see, I made him myself … in kindergarten. I know. I know. Why on earth is this guy […] Read more »

December 4. Day Eight

WEEK TWO – FAITH “The second candle represents faith and is called ‘Bethlehem’s Candle.’ Micah had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, which is also the birthplace of King David.”  (Crosswalk.com)   December 4 – Psalm 36  Faith. God values faith. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “ … it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Oh how He wants us to trust Him. To believe that He exists and that He reaches out through creation and story and history and His Spirit to call us to Himself in a love relationship like no other. He especially values faith in us […] Read more »

December 3. Day Seven

December 3 – Romans 15:1-13  Hope. We end our first week of celebrating the Biblical attribute of hope by reading a passage in Romans that speaks that word over and over again. I counted four happy mentions of hope in the passage. Paul is encouraging the Christians of Rome, who lived in difficult times, to not lose hope. God Himself, says Paul in verse 13, is the “source of hope,” and that hope is a “confident hope.” The lovely thing about being a Christian, no matter whether the times are easy or difficult, is that we know that it ends well for us! No sorrow or trouble will last forever. The crying will come to an end some glorious day. Jews and Gentiles alike will […] Read more »

December 2. Day Six

December 2 – 1 Corinthians 15:51-58  Hope. At the end of this amazing passage on death and eternal life, Paul tells us more about Jesus’ return. When that last trumpet sounds, this earth and world as we know it will be transformed “in the blink of an eye.” The same God who spoke a word and an entire cosmos came into being, will transform it once again with sin and evil vanquished. We’ll be caught up to Him, transformed immediately if we are still living at the time, and otherwise already transformed. And what a cool type of transformation. These current bodies of ours are decaying, slowing down, needing more repair as we get older, and basically wearing out. The new ones? They Won’t Wear […] Read more »

December 1. Day Five

December 1 – 1 Corinthians 15:12-33  Hope. We’ve looked at hope from the time before Christ came as the people of Israel yearned for release from suffering and looked for a Messiah. We’ve celebrated with the first century folk who witnessed Christ coming in the flesh and the fulfillment of that hope. Now, let’s talk about our hope for the second coming of Christ when He will vanquish every enemy beneath His feet! Oh the wonderful sure hope we have that this world, with all the injustices and diseases and bullies, will someday come under the authority and judgment of the living God. We have the Biblical promise right here in Scripture that we will not die and stay dead. Those of us who have […] Read more »