The Struggle God Allowed | Dec 16

 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” -Romans 8:18

Jesus was not born into comfort and privilege. There has never been a child born into our world who has been more deserving of a care-free, peace-filled life than Jesus. Yet, Jesus Himself lived a life filled with struggle and suffering, and this includes the events and circumstances surrounding His birth in Bethlehem.

We live in an imperfect world that is still suffering the affects of sin. 

Our world was broken when sin first entered through Adam and Eve in the garden. And since that time, we do not experience the world as God created it. There is sickness, selfishness, and pain. When Jesus arrived on earth as a baby, He chose to experience life as we do. And this meant making himself vulnerable to pain and suffering as a human being.

God allows us to experience struggling and discomfort in our lives, too. But as we live day to day, we must remember the reason Jesus came in the first place: He came to set us free from our sin and destroy the work of the enemy. He came to restore our relationship with God to the place it was in the beginning. And He came to make a way for us to enter into eternal life with God in Heaven where we will once again be free from pain and sorrow forever.

Every person who has lived throughout history has had to experience pain. Knowing Jesus is the only thing that makes the Christian’s suffering and pain different than the suffering of those who do not believe. As children of God, we have the promise of Heaven where all our present suffering will cease. We have the promise of fruitfulness as God tells us He uses all our suffering to create perseverance, character, and hope! We have the comfort of the Holy Spirit within us to bring us peace that goes beyond our own understanding when we pray to Him. The Christian suffers the same way Jesus suffered, and that is looking to the joy that is set before us: for us, this is Jesus Himself. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

It is with great trust in God’s love and goodness that we walk through the trials and struggles of our lives. 

We trust Him because we know Him. Jesus knew His Heavenly Father. As Jesus’s life began in the small town of Bethlehem, the perfect example of a life surrendered to the will of the Father was beginning. Let us always look to Jesus as we learn to trust in the plans of God for our lives, trusting that the struggles He allows pale in comparison to the great joy that lies ahead.

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

A Star | Dec 15

“They asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” -Matthew 2:2

God altered the heavens to lead these men to Jesus. The extent to which our God will go to reveal Himself to His creation is without limit. He loved these wisemen. And He loves all people. So much that He will move heaven to make it known. But it is important for us to remember that no matter how miraculous the signs God may give, it still takes faith to follow Him.

Long before the wisemen laid their eyes on Jesus for themselves, they saw this new star in the sky for the first time and made a decision to follow it. These men had to make a choice to leave what they knew behind. They had to choose faith. 

When God gives us a direction to follow or lays out steps for us to take, it is important for us to know that there are things that will be left behind. The predictable, the comfortable. Sometimes our comfort has to take a backseat when God calls us on a journey of faith. The wisemen didn’t know much about Who they would find beneath the star, but they understood that He was worth the trip. He was worth the sacrifice. 

He always is.

Our journey to knowing Jesus sometimes leads us away from comfortable places. But God has given us a star, a sign to follow. Jesus said in Revelation 22:16, “…I am the bright morning star.” Jesus is not a physical star in the sky for us to follow to a manger with a baby inside. He is, however, the One we seek. He is the One we follow. And it is Jesus alone who guides us directly to the only place we will ever find true love and meaning: it is always Jesus Himself. 

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

Heavenly Hosts | Dec 14

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” -Luke 2:9-14

Joy is contagious. 

A laugh, a light-hearted spirit, a smile—it has an affect on others when a person is filled with joy! The shepherds’ quiet night was interrupted by one of the most joyful expressions of glory and praise ever recorded, and it was all about the birth of Jesus.

The angels’ visit to the shepherds was filled with joy and celebration—both in the good news the angel brought and in the multitude of angels that joined in singing praises to God. The news of Jesus’s birth was not only good, it was happy news! The angel told the shepherds that this was news of great joy. The keeping of a promise, the arrival of a savior: He was here—God in flesh. There was much to celebrate.

As the angel finished telling the shepherds just where to find the newborn savior, the sky was suddenly filled with angels celebrating and rejoicing in praises to God. The angels worshipped God for the wonderful thing He was doing and offering peace to all of mankind. Just imagine the excitement and joy that must have filled the shepherds as they experienced this with their own eyes and ears! 

As we look to heaven and remember the miracle of Jesus coming to earth all those years ago, may our souls be filled with praise and rejoicing! May the joy of the Lord overflow from our mouths as we celebrate the miracle of Christmas. After all, Christmas means the Celebration (mass) of Jesus (the Christ). We have much to celebrate!

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

Dreams | Dec 13

“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’” -Matthew 1:20-21

God spoke to Joseph in a dream, in the midst of his struggle and confusion. These verses tell us that it was while Joseph was “considering” all that had happened in his life that God spoke to him. And He did so in a dream.

The circumstances in our lives will not always make sense. Like Joseph, there are many things in life that we just simply cannot understand. It is in these moments that we need to go to God to be reminded of who He says we are, receive His words of comfort, and believe His promises for our future. 

This is what God did for Joseph in his dream.

First, God knew Joseph’s name. What does it mean to you to realize that God KNOWS you? In these verses, God reminded Joseph of his identity as a son of David. He was not ignored or forgotten in the circumstances that surrounded him. We all need to be reminded of this in our lives too—that God knows us by name. We are not forgotten, we are not ignored. God sees and cares about us!

God also addressed Joseph’s fears when told Him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. When we are confused or troubled, we need God’s words of comfort. Only God fully knows what we need and is able to give us true peace in times of difficulty. Joseph now knew that no matter how difficult his circumstances may have seemed, he could be free from fear knowing God was with Him.

Finally God gave Joseph a promise. This trial, this difficult circumstance would result in a beautiful miracle: Jesus would save His people from their sins! What promises has God spoken in His Word that you need to hear today? God knew what Joseph needed, and God has given us everything we need in His Word to give us hope! It is through His great and precious promises that we are able to live out our lives in faith and hope.

We can never find true peace or understanding in our own efforts. 

Even as Joseph considered everything that had taken place, He needed to hear from God. I pray we always remember to look to Jesus when times of difficulty come. It is God alone who reminds us who we are as His beloved children. It is His Words of comfort that bring us peace and joy in the midst of confusion and trouble. And it is His promises that give us what we need to walk out the path He has set before us. He is good. He is faithful. And He is with us. 

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

The Holy Spirit | Dec 12

“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?’” -Luke 1:41-43

Elizabeth was pregnant with a baby boy who would grow up to be John the Baptist. She and her husband, Zechariah had prayed their whole lives for a child, and now, late in life, she was expecting their first son. 

Mary was pregnant with a baby boy who would grow up to be the Savior of the world. She was young, inexperienced, and newly betrothed to Joseph. It was after she was told that she would give birth to the Messiah that Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. 

These two women had much in common as relatives and also both finding themselves miraculously and unexpectedly pregnant. As Mary approached Elizabeth, the passage above tells us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and baby John leaped in her womb! The arrival of Jesus, their Messiah, was such a supernatural, wonderful thing that the Holy Spirit caused even the tiniest baby to respond in praise!

Elizabeth, being filled with God’s Spirit, called out blessing on Mary and on the growing Baby inside. The response that we see in Elizabeth and in her unborn son, John are both beautiful and miraculous. 

It is only by the work of the Holy Spirit that we are able to see Jesus as He truly is: our Messiah, our Savior, God with us.

The Holy Spirit works in our hearts today as our Teacher, our Counselor, and our Advocate—always pointing us to Jesus. The fruit of which we read in Galatians 5 is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These grow in our hearts as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and bring us back to Jesus. And as the Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives, may we respond in the same way John the Baptist and Elizabeth did: in beautiful praise glorifying our Savior.

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

Gabriel | Dec 11

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” -Luke 1:26-27

Gabriel is mentioned many times throughout the Bible as one of the angels God sent to speak to His people. It was Gabriel who appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament. At that time, he helped Daniel understand some of the visions that God had given him and offered comfort and peace. It was also the angel Gabriel who appeared to Zechariah in the temple to tell him that God had heard his lifelong prayer for a child—and that he was going to have a son, John (the Baptist). 

Gabriel’s words to Zechariah in Luke 1:19 tell us something very special about Gabriel:

“Then the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!’” (NLT)

Gabriel, who dwelt in the “very presence of God” understood that the news God had for Zechariah that day was GOOD NEWS! Zechariah was about to receive the long-awaited answer to his prayer for a son. It was in this same way, Gabriel was sent to Mary: with good news.

The passage above reminds us that even before Gabriel told Mary what God had planned for her, he greeted her and affirmed her identity as a beloved, favored child of God. It was important for Mary to recognize that God knew and loved her before she was given the news of what was to come. This is something we all share—our need to know who we are as children of God! This is what gives us the confidence and hope we need to walk the path God has laid out for us.

Gabriel follows his greeting to Mary with this: “The Lord is with you.” We cannot understand the life that God had planned for Mary, the mother of Jesus. We can know this: God was with her. And as Gabriel began his conversation with Mary with this reminder, our days should begin the same: knowing and believing that God is with us. 

This is good news.

There was much more that Gabriel had to tell Mary that day, but I pray we remember that before anything else, she was reminded of who she was. She was affirmed as a loved and favored child of God. And perhaps most importantly, she was reassured that God was with her. And He is with you. Remember the meaning of Immanuel: God with us. Let’s remember to always start there.

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

Prophecy | Dec 10

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” -Isaiah 7:14

God wanted the world to know who Jesus was. From the time that Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, God began giving His people signs and prophecies about the coming Messiah. From His lineage to His birthplace, the birth of Jesus had been foretold for hundreds of years. God wanted people to know that this was their Savior!

The prophecies about the birth of Jesus could have seemed common—The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and a descendant of King David. There were certainly many children born in Bethlehem and many people who had been descendants of the the line of King David, as the Messiah would be. But this prophecy from Isaiah chapter 7 was different. “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” This was not common. 

This was impossible— apart from a miracle from God. 

When Jesus was conceived in the virgin, Mary, God made it plain to the world that this child, born in Bethlehem, of the lineage of David—this was the Messiah. God wanted there to be no question: the baby born of a virgin, this was Immanuel: God With Us! The birth of Jesus was not a secret. It was not a simple, ordinary birth. Jesus’s arrival was miraculous in every way: the nature of His conception leaving no doubt as to who He was.

Jesus, our Savior, was born that we would know Him. 

God Himself came to earth that first Christmas so that we would see who He is, hear His voice and understand the great love He has for us. He was the perfect fulfillment of each and every messianic prophecy—giving complete assurance that Jesus is our long-awaited Savior.

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

The Ways God Spoke | Dec 9

“He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.” -Daniel 2:22

God’s perfect plan to send Jesus into the world included people. Young people like Mary, working people like the shepherds, older men like Joseph and Simeon…each one different and unique. God didn’t create us to be the same person. He created each of us with our own gifts and personalities—the things that make us who we are. Our differences are what make our world so wonderful, and God’s glory shines through His creation: including the people He made!

As unique and different as the people God chose to include in the Christmas story, the way that God revealed His plan to each one was just as unique. Because God knew them, God knew exactly how each person would receive and understand what He wanted to reveal to them. For some, this meant a quiet moment at home, like Mary and Joseph. For others, God literally opened the heavens with angels singing, like He did for the shepherds. 

I love this about our God! 

God knows us, inside and out. He knows how we think, what makes us excited or afraid, and He is able to speak to us in ways that He knows we will understand. The passage above in Daniel chapter 2 tells us that it is God who reveals the deep and hidden things. Just as the birth of Jesus was revealed in many ways to many people, God continues to reveal Himself to us personally today. 

God is not distant and unreachable. 

He loves us, and He wants to speak to us. Jesus came that we might see God for ourselves and know Him! So, today, as you seek Him, ask Jesus to speak into your life in ways that you will hear and understand. And as you read and meditate on God’s Word, trust Him to reveal Himself to you because He knows and loves you. You matter to Him.

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

Wisemen | Dec 8

“And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” -Matthew 2:9-11

The Christmas story is not about one family only, or one town, or one country. The story of Jesus’s birth reaches across the borders of nations and culture. The shepherds were strangers to Mary and Joseph, but they were fellow countrymen—they spoke Hebrew and lived nearby. Mary and Joseph were Hebrew people. The story of Christmas takes place in their country, in the city their ancestors had come from: Bethlehem. 

The Wisemen, however, were different.

There were so many other people living in the region of Galilee who missed the arrival of the promised Messiah. Jesus was born in a crowded town filled with people from all over Galilee who had come for the census. They were there, but they were not looking for a savior. And yet, a group of Wisemen (possibly three, although we do not know for certain) from a foreign country were drawn by God through a star in the sky to behold the Son of God for themselves.

The Wisemen were seeking Jesus. They were on a mission: to follow the star, find the King beneath, and worship Him. There is a principle throughout the Bible that you’ll find over and over again, and that is when we truly seek after God, we will find Him. Jesus was not hidden away, kept secret from the world. Yet, there were many who, even as He grew into a man, did not see Him for who He truly was: their Messiah, their Savior.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the savior of the world! The fact that God put a star in the sky to draw a group of foreign men to come and worship Jesus shines such a clear and beautiful light on this truth! His coming meant salvation for all people: Jew, Greek, slave, free, men, women. Those who seek Him, who call Him their King, and who worship Him as God: Jesus came to show us that He loves us all.

I pray that we never miss the wonderful things God is doing around us, but like the Wisemen, we can go to whatever lengths necessary to seek Him! Remember that no matter where you may be coming from, God will always guide you to His Son if you’re seeking Him.

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.

Simeon | Dec 7

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,  he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles,  and for glory to your people Israel.’” -Luke 2:25-32

Simeon was a man whose life was marked by waiting. No one likes to wait. Especially at this time of year! Every year for Christmas, our children know there will be gifts for them under the tree, and yet it isn’t until the presents are wrapped and waiting that the real anticipation and impatience kicks in. Once the presents are there to look at, to tempt them, to pick up and shake—the waiting becomes almost too much to bear. You don’t hear anyone asking to open a Christmas present in September, but once there’s a tree in the living room and gifts laid beneath, there’s almost nothing else to think about!

These verses in Luke tell us that the Holy Spirit had given Simeon a very personal and specific prophecy about the coming Messiah, and the promise was this: Simeon would see Jesus in his lifetime. Can you imagine knowing the Messiah could be born any moment—waiting expectantly day after day…only to wait some more?

We don’t know how often Simeon came to the Temple, waiting and looking for the arrival of the Messiah, the Hope of Israel. But he hadn’t given up hope in waiting. He had patience and trusted God’s faithfulness to His promise.

It is so easy for us to give up on the promises of God when it involves waiting. 

But waiting is so incredibly valuable in the steadfast, immovable faith it produces in us. And Simeon’s patience as he waited allowed him to respond when the Holy Spirit finally revealed the newborn Christ, and he “took Him up in his arms” and blessed God with praise and thanksgiving as God’s promise to him was fulfilled at last!

As Simeon awaited the promise of God, Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit was upon him. I pray that as we learn to wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled in our own lives, that we do so in faith and believing in His faithfulness. And let’s ask the Holy Spirit to guide and fill us in the same way  He did with the man, Simeon. God always keeps His Word!

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If you are enjoying this Advent Devotional, you can pick up a copy of the book at our Sunday Services during the month of December or purchase your own keepsake copy of this published book by clicking below. We would also love to have you join us for our Christmas series at Redemption Church on Sunday mornings at 10am! For more information, click the links below.