Advent - Day Twelve

 For Advent this year, we are reading A Weary World Rejoices written by Brittany Rust  
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The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
John 1:9-14 NKJV

We are reminded of two things about Jesus in this passage: He is the light of the world and the Word made flesh. He is, inherently, a gift to us all. Because by His light, we have life (John 1:4). And because He is the Word, He is the personal wisdom of God. Through Christ, we have both life and truth. And yet, so many have and continue to deny both, sadly.

This holiday season, remember that when Jesus came, He came in life, truth, and grace to save you from your sins. That's something to celebrate!

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Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for Life, for Truth, and for Your Grace, without which we would be eternally lost. Thank You for Your Word made flesh to teach us how to live and grow in right relationship with You. Thank You that every day You give us is a reason to celebrate - even those days that are hard. We especially thank You for who You are to us on those days. Saviour. Friend. Redeemer. Counselor. Father... Help us to remember to give thanks in all things on all days. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

What's In Your Luggage?

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
Romans 13:11-14 NLT

Can you believe we're already at the end of October? The holiday season is just around the corner and chances are you or someone you love will be traveling. While there are many different types of travelers, there are generally only two types of packers. Those who pack ahead of time and those last-minute packers... of which I am one.

Being a last-minute packer can be beneficial if you have back-to-back trips. You just leave some things in the suitcase and then throw in a few more depending on where you're going, and you're off on the next trip. And if you forgot something, don't worry, you can probably buy it at your next destination.

However, according to our Scripture passage today, in light of our final destination - Heaven - we need to be very intentional with what we have in our luggage. What preparation have we made for eternity? Remember, we won't be able to run out and "buy" whatever we missed. So, depending on where we want to go, we need to remove the dark deeds and immoral living. Get rid of the quarreling and jealousy so we can make room to pack the shining armor of right living. We also must clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's going to need a serious amount of space. So, what's in your luggage? What do you need to get rid of? 

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to guide us into all Truth and to help prepare us for this journey to You. Open our eyes to see what needs to be removed to make plenty of room for Your presence. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen