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Advent 2022 – Day 10: Isaiah 40:6-8

A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Isaiah 40:6-8, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

Our sins have stacked up to heaven, deeper and more vile than we could know.

Sin is the act of willfully separating from God, putting something between God and ourselves, weakening ourselves from the inside out as we cut ourselves off from the source of life.

And God will let us have what we want. (Romans 1:20-32)

Therefore, we internally die continually, and the only hope is a long life to stave off the eternal death and suffering.

All because we choose our sin over God and His Word.

Yet, God came to us, breathing out His Word and His Spirit to give us new life through His death and resurrection.

We therefore prepare ourselves by investigating His eternal Word through reading the Scriptures and trusting in the Son.

We may still suffer in this world, but we have the hope of eternal life in New bodies with our Lord forever.

May we seek the Lord who gives us life, preparing ourselves by seeking His Word.

2022
12/06
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Advent 2022 – Day 9: Isaiah 40:3-4

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

Isaiah 40:3-4, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

Our sins have stacked up to heaven, deeper and more vile than we could know.

The sin we all commit and have committed have left rocks in our path that we trip over, created potholes that we stumble in, and knocked down debris that block our way and push us to different paths.

The Prophets of old worked to prepare people for God.

John was born to begin preparing hearts for the coming Messiah, claiming he was the fulfillment of this passage. (Matthew 3:1-3; Luke 3:1-5)

The Baptizer called us to repent, to change our thinking and actions, to prepare for our Savior.

We still struggle to be clean and clear, to obey and love.

Yet, God came to us, He comforts our souls and does the initial work of removing those rocks, filling the potholes, and moving debris from our way.

We can prepare ourselves by seeking our Creator and Savior who is capable of leveling out our lives, knowing that only in Him is it completely possible.

We will still stumble and deal with consequences for our sins, but the way is made easier in Christ.

May we seek the Lord who helps us, preparing ourselves by seeking His path.

2022
12/05
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Advent 2022 – Day 8: Isaiah 40:1-2

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah 40:1-2, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

Our sins have stacked up to heaven, deeper and more vile than we could know.

The pain those sins have caused have made this world and much of our lives dark and burdensome.

We have hurt ourselves and each other as we have ignored and run from God.

We have caused so much pain and grief to ourselves and each other as we acted selfishly and without regard for others.

Yet, God offers us comfort for our souls if we merely turn to Him, seeking His goodwill and grace.

We can prepare ourselves by beginning to look at our own wickedness and need for forgiveness.

We can prepare ourselves by seeking our Creator and Savior who is capable of removing our burdens and sins.

May we seek the Lord who offers His comfort, preparing ourselves by seeking His truth.

2022
12/04
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Advent 2022 – Day 7: Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

We may do horrible things to ourselves, to each other, and against God.

We tend to commit so many injustices against each other, to seek manufactured kindness and perceived justice that still harms others, even intentionally.

Yet, God came to show us His kindness, the depths of His justice and love, using our horribleness and injustice to redeem us as our Savior and King.

His Kingdom is growing in this world, but there is still much work to be done.

Our mighty God is destroying strongholds and bringing peace to individuals and groups.

He became one of us here onthe earth, being born in the natural way, but He is currently reigning from Heaven. He has sent His Counselor to live in and through us to spread His rule across the globe and time.

We have failed time and again, yet He works in and through us – the redeemed of the Lord – to bring about righteousness.

So we do not lose heart in this broken and wicked world, rather we join with our Lord in zealously seeking those whom will be saved and ushering in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

May we seek the Lord who works in us to spread His kindness and grace and justice.

2022
12/03
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Advent 2022 – Day 6: Isaiah 9:17

Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 9:17, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

We do horrible things to ourselves, to each other, and against God.

We don’t seek God, but instead we think we know better than He does.

We even accuse Him of evil and being a moral monster for not doing things the way we think He should.

As a whole, we have turned from God and chosen to do our own thing far more than we have chosen Him and His ways.

Look at history and see how much we have rebelled against God and hurt each other, through cults, tyranny, bullying, murder, war, and so many other horrible things.

Because “we know better.”

If we are ignoring God and His commands, why should He care for us? If we want nothing to do with Him, why should He be kind to us?

Yet, God came to show us His kindness, mercy, and grace, forgiving us for our rebellion if we believe in the work of the cross of Christ.

May we seek the Lord who has given us kindness and grace because of His great love for us.

2022
12/02
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Advent 2022 – Day 5: Isaiah 9:16

for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.

Isaiah 9:16, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

We do horrible things to ourselves, to each other, and against God.

We want to hear about the good things in this world and that good things will come to us.

We want to surround ourselves with people who will tell is what we want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

And there are people who are willing to tell us those happy things, saying many of the right things while also ignoring or omitting the things that don’t sound as good.

In other words, there are teachers willing to teach what others want to benefit themselves. (1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9)

But this is not new. Many of the prophets and priests of Israel had done that for centuries (which is something Isaiah is talking about), and it clearly stretches throughout history.

The religious leadership added rules to or new interpretations of God’s Word. Balaam accepted money to speak and fight against Israel (even if he still only spoke blessings). All the way back to the beginning, the serpent twisted God’s Word to “help” people be more like God.

And we have allowed ourselves to be consumed with selfish lies.

Yet, God came to give us the truth and lead us back from false teachings by revealing Himself as the Truth.

May we seek the Lord who has given us truth through His Word (The Bible) and His life, death, and resurrection.

2022
12/01
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Advent 2022 – Day 4: Isaiah 9:13

The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 9:13, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

We do horrible things to each other and against God.

We don’t like to believe that God punishes people, either. However, the Old Testament shows how often Israel disobeyed God, and God allowed and even sent disasters and armies to correct them and draw them back to Himself.

But we like to think we know better, so we refuse to go to Him or even blame Him for everything wrong in this life.

How could He allow such bad things to happen? How could a good God let evil happen to good people?

But He has told us that none of us are truly good, that we don’t seek our Maker.

He sends and allows because He has given us the choice to ignore, hate, and refuse Him.

Yet God came to us, willingly taking our hatred and accusations and refusals to the cross, giving us in return grace and forgiveness and acceptance.

Yes, God sends things that hurt but it to draw us in, and He also sends Himself to hold us.

May we seek the Lord who draws us in.

2022
11/30
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Advent 2022 – Day 3: Isaiah 9:4

For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Isaiah 9:4, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

There are many times in this world that we burden and oppress each other.

We either attempt to force our own will on others, add our will (rules) to God’s will, or have the will of others forced on us.

We dare to put ourselves in God’s place or blame Him for the sin of others.

We willingly choose our own path, carrying the burden of our sin, thinking we are good in our own right.

The ways of this world drag us down, and we complain and try to fix things ourselves … or accept that we are nothing and hold onto this view.

And many times we lash out at each other, seeking comfort, even if through burdening others.

And if we blame God, we also say His ways must be more burdensome, not wanting to acknowledge that we have burdened ourselves.

Yet God came to us, willingly taking our burden upon His shoulders, removing the oppression of sin by dying on the cross we deserved!

We may still struggle with the problems of this world, but Jesus has promised that we will have troubles. He has given us His yoke of loving others.

May we seek to lead our world to theOne who ends sin’s oppression.

2022
11/29
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Advent 2022 – Day 2: Isaiah 9:2

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Isaiah 9:2, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

We live in a dark world.

Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve broke the one command of God that should have been the easiest: “Don’t eat this fruit.”

Yes, sin means missing the mark, falling short, turning away from God.

Sin is ultimately separation. We are born separated from God because of our super-great grandparents, yet we also choose to remain separated by our own choices.

We live behind a veil that blocks His light, and that veil is too heavy to remove ourselves.

It is as if we blocked out the sun to stop it’s heat, and then we climbed into a steep cave, falling to the bottom, unable to climb back out let alone remove the barrier between us and God.

Yet God came to us, the sun itself removing the barrier and lifting us up. God Himself lifted the veil to be with us.

Yes, we still live in a darkened world full of sin and separation, but God has lifted the veil over us. As we go into this world, the people will see the light streaming through us from above.

May we seek to be that light as we take Him into this dark world.

2022
11/28
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Advent 2022 – Day 1: Isaiah 9:1

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

Isaiah 9:1, ESV

At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.

As humans, we have a tendency to let those around us influence us more than God.

Look at Eve with the serpent.

Look at the brothers of Joseph, even though Reuben had tried to save him, still going along with his brothers.

Look at Israel as a nation, constantly turning to the gods of their neighbors.

Zebulun and Naphtali were the same, living way in the north of Israel, what came to be known as Galilee, often overrun with Gentile pagans, and they frequently gave in to their practices rather than worship the one true God.

Yet, God tells them that in the last days they would be blessed.

There is a reminder that we all fall short of God, that we need His help to be good, righteous, holy. We may wander far from Him, yet God comes to us. He makes a way for us. God comes and shares His glory.

If we are willing to see His light in our dark world.

2022
11/27
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