Victory In Jesus

Advent Devotional by Renae and Mark Bottom

“Do not suppose that I have come to

bring peace to the earth.

I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

—Matthew 10:34—

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
These words, spoken by President Roosevelt after the attack on Pearl Harbor, heralded the advent of war for our country. Sources estimate that more than 50 million people, including soldiers and civilians, died as a result of the conflict.
From around the world, courageous men and women joined to battle human tyranny. After a long and bloody struggle, they prevailed; sadly, their noble victory could never hope to eradicate tyranny forever.
How marvelous, then, the advent of Christ. Quietly, into a manger, came the one, true hero of mankind. His arrival, as a helpless infant, heralded war no less than the emphatic words of a president. His would be the battle against the tyranny of sin and death.
He would offer Himself, the single casualty. He would prevail, the perfect Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, whose heart beat with the courage of humility and obedience.
His victory would secure the hope of mankind, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Prayer:
Almighty God, You knew we were a people in need of a hero, a Savior. So You sent Your only begotten Son to save us and to bring us peace . . . not the peace the world gives, but your peace. Thank you. Amen

St. Nicholas Day

Advent Devotional by Pastor Fred Andersen

“They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph,

and the baby lying in the manger.”

—Luke 2:16 Common English Bible—

As a child I looked forward to watching Santa’s Workshop on television. It featured Santa telling stories about the flying reindeer, life at the North Pole, and reading letters from the children.
One letter stands out after all these years. The letter began with the usual request for toys and continued with how the child prayed to Santa every night.
Santa read the letter with great care and then gently put it down on the table beside his chair. He explained that he was honored to receive the letter and he would forward the request to the elves preparing the list for Christmas Eve.
He went on to explain that he was not a “god’ who was deserving of being addressed in a person’s prayer. He further explained that he is a servant of the one God just like many other people. He encouraged the writer to continue the bedtime prayers and to address them to the one God.
Many years later I saw a statue of the red suited Santa Claus kneeling beside the manger of the Christ child. His hat was on the ground, his head was bowed, and his hands were folded in prayer. I instantly remembered the letter read on Santa’s Workshop and how Santa Claus said to the viewing audience that ‘he was a servant of the one God.’

Prayer:
O, Lord, our God, help us to always remember that Jesus is the reason for the Christmas Season. Amen.

Judge Not

Advent Devotional by Helen Schilke

“Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

—Matthew 7:1—

I knew they were going to be a problem. The mother was disruptive, and the child screamed like a banshee every time the mother was out of her sight. No matter how simple the learning task was, it went undone; books were unread, weekly meetings were missed.
My job was to prepare low income families to start their children into school, and this year few of the children spoke English. I struggled to engage this family in the process of preparing their child.
In frustration I said to my interpreter, “I don’t understand. Why won’t these people help their child? Don’t they understand how far behind she will be if she doesn’t even know how to write her name?”
In her gentle loving way, my interpreter said, “Maybe it would be easier for the mother if she could read or write Spanish. She comes from a very poor family. She only went to the first grade and never learned to read or write. She gets by the best way she can.”
I was dumbfounded! It had never entered my mind that I was dealing with total illiteracy. In her attempt to hide her feelings of inferiority, this woman had taken on an air of complacency when it came to my help.
I was not proud of my actions in this situation. I had judged before I knew the facts. I had not looked beyond the surface. This woman was a victim of poverty beyond anything I had ever experienced. Because she had not conformed to my expectations, I had judged her. I was unfair and ashamed of myself. Needless to say, the lesson stuck and now, with all my heart, I try to look beyond the surface to the heart of a person.

Prayer:
Creator of us all, help me to remember how blessed my life is. Remind me that there are others who are less fortunate than I am. Help me remember to look beyond the surface and see the whole person. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Packing a Lifetime Into So Few Years

Advent Devotional by Ray and Alice Lindekugel

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished

the race, I have kept the faith.”

—2 Timothy 4:7—

It was Dec. 4, 1998, when the angels came for our precious grandson, Levi. He was only nine years old and had fought childhood cancer for three years. He died at home with his mom laying by his side, his dad, brothers, sister and we grandparents surrounding his bed and great-grandpa holding his hand. Then, through our tears, we saw a gentle smile on Levi’s face after his passing. How comforting that was to us, knowing what joy lies ahead!
Levi loved anyone and anything “cowboy.” He kept in touch with many western singers, especially Charlie Daniels, who is a St. Jude’s Hospital supporter. Those who came by the house that night said that there were clear, starry skies all around, but within a half-mile of the house, the fog was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Western Wishes magazine said, “It’s amazing the kind of dust a bunch of stampeding angels can stir up when they come to lead another cowboy home!”
Revelation 21:4 says, “God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Because of Jesus’ birth and resurrection, we, too, can have the hope that will give us a gentle smile when we pass from this life to our home in Heaven. Families are forever—it’s another “until we meet again.”

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your wonderful gift of Jesus, who gives us comfort, peace and assurance of eternal life. In his name we pray, Amen.

Moments Lost

Advent Devotional by Sue Smith

“. . . man looks on the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks on the heart.”

—1 Samuel 16:7—

This morning as I was cleaning up the kitchen after fixing breakfast for the Smith-Clements clan I was reflecting on how delighted Mom (Gladys) would have been with this family gathering. There probably wasn’t anything that she enjoyed more than having all her sons and daughters-in-law together. Then I’m also reminded of the times we could have done this, but didn’t and feel a certain sadness at the opportunities missed.
As we come to the Advent season it brings with it a time to remember to make the extra efforts doing even small things, to be thankful for a family gathering, to keep in touch with loved ones when miles or activities separate you, as well as remembering the time we have is granted by God and we need to use it wisely.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, may we always be conscious of the time given to us on this earth and use it in ways that will bring us closer to You. Amen

Trust IS Faith

Advent Devotional by Russ Pankonin

“O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust:

save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

—Psalm 7:1—

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;

For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

—Psalm 9:9-10

How would you respond if someone came up to you, asked you to sell all your possessions, your home and leave everything else behind, and follow him wherever he leads you?
I don’t think I could do it. Could you? But that’s what Jesus asked of his disciples and that’s what they did. What great trust those 12 disciples put in our Savior. What great faith they had to follow him. Yes, trust IS faith.
God has not asked us to sell our belongings and leave everything behind, but he has asked us to put our trust and faith in him.
As Christians, we believe in the one, true Almighty God. Yet, none of us have ever seen God, or touched God—all we have is the Bible. But through our faith and trust, we know that he is always there with us—serving as our guidepost for daily living; in times of joy, in times of grief; in times of trial. He has never forsaken us!
He told us that if we have faith and never doubt, that faith can move mountains. “You can get anything—anything you ask for in prayer—if you believe.” Sometimes we find that God has a different plan from what we think we need. And He knows best.
Trust is indeed faith.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the peace you bring to our daily lives and pray that you continue to guide us and protect us. We pray that our trust and faith in You and Your word continues to grow each and every day and that we never doubt our faith that will one day bring us to your heavenly home. Amen.

Have An Attitude of Faith

Advent Devotional by Joyce Terryberry

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,

the conviction of things not seen.”

—Hebrews 11:1—

Our grandson recently had a birthday party. He wanted the theme to revolve around games. One of the games was an obstacle course. One of the parts of the obstacle course was to swing on a rope over a long pool of water and not land in the water. Well, more than half of the children landed in the water, but to my surprise most all of them “shook it off” and repeated the course several more times. Oh, to have the faith of a child, that everything will be okay.
As we go through life, those who have an attitude of faith, know that Jesus is with us even in the unknowns of the future. Like the little children, we must have hope and trust in the Lord.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the opportunity to worship You and experience an attitude of faith. Help us to never give up hope in ourselves and others. Amen