Day 15 – December 11
Read: Isaiah 35:1-10
Joy of the Redeemed
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away. – Isaiah 35:10
One of my favorite words of Christmas is joy. We sing “Joy to the World” and
“How Great Our Joy.” Joy is on Christmas ornaments, cards, and decorations. But
do we truly experience joy at Christmas, or are we just happy - happy that our
families are together, or that we received a great gift, or that we picked out the
perfect gift for the person who is so hard to shop for?
Joy is much more than being happy. I think happiness comes from an external
event or happening, but joy is what we experience once we have internalized our
faith in Christ.
Isaiah is talking about joy unrelated to any external events. He is foretelling the
coming of the Messiah, who will bring us great joy. This event is so wonderful
that even nature, the desert and wilderness, will be renewed and burst forth with
joy. It does not say they will be happy, but experience joy. We as Christians are
encouraged not to have fear, but to be strong and remember that Christ came to
save us and bring us everlasting joy.
So, as we are preparing for Christmas and all the many events that will bring us
happiness, remember - joy only comes from Christ. And the good news is that
this joy will last much longer than any gift that will fade or break. The “joy of the
redeemed” will be with us forever.
- Wyonne Kaemingk
Prayer: Lord, how often we associate the season of Your birth with stress and
busyness, rather than joy! Help us to slow down, kneel at the manger, and reflect
on the true gift You are to the world, that we may be filled with joy. Amen.
Day 16 – December 12
Read: Acts 5:12-16
Signs and Wonders
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people…
Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord
and were added to their number. – Acts 5:12, 14
Miraculous signs and wonders are not something I thought I have ever witnessed,
but that would be an untruth. Each day I can have the ability to see God’s power
in my life.
I don't acknowledge all the ways He has arranged things to work out and make
life better for me and those around me. But then there are days where it is very
obvious His hand is fixing, guiding, and leading all the circumstances. When
chance encounters or unlikely events occur, we need to be sure to praise the Lord
for His display of power.
We should be like the early church, making our faith more visible; that way,
others will be drawn to Christ. We should not be timid, scared, or secretive about
what God is doing for us.
God has our backs. We don't need to be superheroes - just basic everyday
believers who are looking, acknowledging, and sharing the good news of His
blessings in our daily lives.
- April Geist
Prayer: Dear God, Thank You that Your love is shown to me throughout each day.
You sent Your Son so that every single person in the world can be saved through
faith. Help me to be aware of Your miraculous power and wonders. I pray that I
may be able to show Your love and my faith to those around me. Give me the
courage to trust You when I share stories of Your power with others. Amen.
Day 17 – December 13
Read: Jude 17-25
Instructions for Living
Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from
the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear. – Jude 22-23
In our current environment, where there are often more questions than answers as to the direction of
our culture, it is refreshing to find thought-provoking passages like this that give us direction to mold
and reinforce our faith. Jude wrote this letter to denounce those that rejected Christ, led lives that were
openly immoral, and lacked respect for authority. He threatens them with divine punishment, warning
specifically against those who seek to divide us (verses 18-19).
Jude encourages Christians to maintain a correct attitude toward sinners, show kindness, and live a good
life, so that they can overcome by the power of God’s grace. But he also cautions that mercy must be
mixed with fear (verses 20-25).
I write this narrative in the weeks preceding America’s general election. After a particularly long and
divisive presidential campaign, punctuated with negative dialogue and questionable character befitting
the most powerful (earthly) leader of the world, we as Christian believers become weary. We wonder
how the entire political process could allow the nation’s moral compass to break down.
But once again, Scripture answers and reminds us: “Build yourself up in your most holy faith and pray in
the Holy Spirit” (vs. 20). Those who want to continue in a way pleasing to God should pray and follow a
course prompted by the Holy Spirit. Simply stated, Jude reminds us to maintain a correct attitude and
live a good life so we can overcome the deviations of our culture by the power of God’s grace.
In addition to prayer, we are instructed to snatch others from the fire and save them. One of our biggest
threats is the continuing threat of terrorism in our world. Terrorists are a form of the scoffers with
ungodly desires that Jude warned of. ISIS followers are especially troubling, with their form of religious
destruction that frightens the entire world.
Some sinners are so entrenched in the error of their ways that a faithful Christian’s most merciful action
may be to look at them in fear and to guard against corruption by their evil. Hopefully this is a small
number, but advocates of terror and satanic behavior are like the “clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”
As challenging as terrorist activity is, we are taught to show mercy and compassion to win over the
enemy. The greatest threat is to those in the mission field. In a world of false teachers and false
religions, evangelism will continue to be a challenging responsibility. We must pray for these outreach
activities.
As we wait during Advent for the celebration of the miracle of Christ’s birth, we should also use the time
to reflect on Jude’s call for believers to persevere and pray.
- Dan Pranger
Prayer: Lord, in a world of fear and uncertainty, teach us to live for You. Make us faithful to pray daily
for those facing persecution and great evil. Amen.
Day 18 –December 14
Read: Zechariah 8:1-7
Longing for Our Identity
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will save my people from the
countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in
Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and
righteous to them as their God.” – Zechariah 8:7-8
Advent is a season of longing. We long for the not yet. We look forward to
rescue, to the story of new life. We long for the birth of a Savior who comes into
this world gently and yet so deeply and ferociously for us.
I am reminded of this ferocious promise for God’s people in reading Zechariah 8:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am
jealous for her with great wrath…I will save my people from the east country and
from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and
righteousness.” (vs. 2,7-8)
I think we can relate to Jerusalem. We have not always been a part of living the
most perfect life —in our literal communities and within our own hearts.
God promises his people a new reality, because God is fiercely mindful of and
involved with His own people. We are reminded that we are no longer who we
thought we were. God saves us from what we once were. We are no longer a
“byword of cursing among the nations” (vs. 13) and are no longer meant to be
trapped in our places of hate and fear. Fear not, commands the Lord. I have
better things for you. Fear not, and go do my good work of peace.
This Advent season, I rejoice in longing for Christ’s new identity for us. I rejoice in
the reminder that because of God’s promise, because of Christ’s claim on us, we
are given a new name and a command to go forth and be a blessing of peace.
– Carly Hubers
Prayer: Father, help us to be faithful to You, to trust in Your plan for us, and to be
peacemakers in this world. Amen.
Day 19 – December 15
Read: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Waiting Too Long
Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved. – Psalm 80:19
When Israel was defeated by their enemies and its people were deported to
another country, it was then that they cried out to their God for help. “Restore us,
O God; make Your face shine upon us.”
Like the Israelites, we too often wait until we have hit rock bottom before we turn
to God and ask for His help and forgiveness for our sins.
Many times when bad things happen to us, we ask, "Why does God allow this to
happen to me?" Although we don't always know why bad things happen to us, we
know that God is always with us to help us through any and all situations.
In Psalm 80, the destruction happened because the people had fallen away from
God. Maybe the reason God was not answering their prayers for help was that He
was waiting for them to repent and turn away from their sins. Then God would
hear their prayers of repentance and forgive them.
- Bruce Graves
Prayer: God, help us to always confess our sins to You and seek Your forgiveness.
It is then that You will wash us clean and carry our burdens. O God, restore us and
make Your face shine upon us. Amen.
Day 20 – December 16
Read: Galatians 4:1-7
Held Accountable
 Before Christ came…we were like children; we were slaves to the
basic spiritual principles of this world. – Galatians 4:3
"Do you have Jesus in your heart?" my mother-in-law would ask me. At the time,
she was not my mother-in-law, just the mother of the guy I was dating. She
would ask me this question at random times during our visits, and I would sit and
stare at her in silence.
It took years for me to answer this question. I thought that I was a good person,
living life the way I was supposed to and how my parents raised me.
I grew up in a loving home. My parents raised me to be kind, intelligent, and
grateful. They expected RESPECT and taught me to be respectful and ethical. I
always knew I had to live by their rules and expectations, and in return I would
grow up to be a good person. I always felt like a good person UNTIL I started
learning what it meant to have Jesus in your heart.
When I was baptized in 2005, I didn't fully understand what is was like to follow
Christ, but over the years I have learned a lot. It's one thing to be held
accountable by your parents, but it's a completely different thing to know that
someday you will have to answer for yourself in front of God. - Kelly Tschetter
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for loving us enough to come to this earth and live and
die for our sins. Thank You for rising from the dead so that we can receive eternal
life. Amen.
Day 21 – December 17
Read: John 3:31-36
Faithful Every Day
Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. – John 3:36
This Scripture passage places the importance on the Holy Spirit and how God lives
on earth. God wants us to live His word throughout our lives and spread His word
to others. God grants eternal life to those who lift up His name and truly believe
in His Word. He wants us to remember not to place anything else before Him, for
He is “above all,” and He is the only God.
Living His Word throughout your life can be as simple as reading the Bible or
praying every day. However, you must truly believe, and you must not place
anyone else or anything else before Him.
Sometimes in life it is easy to get off track, and you can find yourself focusing on
other things. God wants us to remain stable in our spiritual life, for this is what
will bring us eternal life. People who reject His word and do not believe in Him
will not receive eternal life. This is important because you can go out of your way
in your own life to help those who are in need. You could simply pray for them, or
you could try and introduce them to God, if they haven’t already known Him.
God wants us to show our dedication to him, and we can show that every day in
our lives.
-Reed Overweg
Prayer: Lord, help us to live Your Word in our lives every single day. Thank You
that You have provided everything we need for faithful lives through Your Spirit.
Amen.