Second Sunday of Advent

The second Sunday of Advent in 2022 will be Sunday, December 4th. After a chaotic year, there is comfort to be found when we pause to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season...a time when believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth.

The second Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in faithful waiting, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and ready ourselves for his second coming.

It's a beautiful chance to reflect on the ways prophecy has been fulfilled and to ponder what the future (promised to us through prophecies) will bring.

Psalm 46:10-11 says:

...Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

This week, we pause to remember who God is and what He has done for us. When our lives are hurried, we only have the chance to focus on our to-do lists. Making space in our schedules for prayer and meditation helps us to better see God at work in our lives and in our world.

As we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ arrival as a gift to all humanity, let’s stir up in our hearts and homes a sense of anticipation. May God’s spirit transform the days leading up to Christmas into a time of holy anticipation; preparing our hearts, as we faithfully await the chance to celebrate the arrival of our king.

Written By: Amanda Idleman

Source: Crosswalk.com

First Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent in 2022 will be Sunday, November 27th. After a tumultuous year, there is comfort to be found when we pause to read, pray, and reflect over the course of the Advent season in which believers eagerly anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth.

The first Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to center our thoughts on hope.

It's a beautiful chance to remember the hope God offers to our lost and dying world, and that He's given us through Jesus.

Galatians 4:4-8 says:

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Paul, the writer of Galatians, articulates so perfectly the great hope we celebrate at Christmas! Without God’s intervention, we were all slaves...bound up by our sin nature and hopelessly headed to the grave. Because of God's great love for us, He came down and rescued humanity by sending his Son as a sacrifice for our sin—so we could be free from the chains of sin and become fully part of God’s glorious eternal family.

On this first Sunday of Advent, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ arrival as a gift to all humanity; let’s stir up in our hearts and homes a sense of anticipation. Over this Advent, we pray that hope would rise up in our spirits in a tangible and life-giving way.

Source: Crosswalk

Written By: Amanda Idleman

I Will Be Joyful In God My Savior

“Sink your roots in him and build on him. Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught, and overflow with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7 (GW)

An attitude of radical gratitude is God’s will for you because it develops your faith.

How does gratitude develop your faith? It happens when times are tough—when things don’t make sense, when you can’t figure it out, when your prayers are unanswered, when everything is going the way you didn’t want it to go. It happens when you can say in those circumstances, “God, I know you’re in control. I know you love me, and I know you can bring good out of this. I’m thankful that you’re bigger than my problem.” 

Anybody can thank God for good things. But if you can thank God even in the bad times, your faith will grow stronger as your roots go deeper. 

Habakkuk was going through tough times. He said, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).

In the midst of all the bad things that went wrong, Habakkuk rejoiced. What caused his gratitude? He decided to find joy in God: “I will be joyful in God my Savior.” 

When everything else stinks in life, you can be grateful because the Lord is your Savior. He will pull you out. You are not alone. He hasn’t abandoned you. Give thanks to God!

By: Rick Warren

Source: Crosswalk Daily Hope

Thanking God When We Don't Feel Like It

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

What happens when we don’t feel like giving thanks, especially during times of rising fuel prices, increasing mortgage rates, food shortages, job losses, and more? Amid unstable times, God asks us to focus on Him and His faithfulness, instead of our circumstances. He draws us to dwell on His promise to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and to trust Him to help us in every situation we face in life.

Some say if they aren’t really feeling thanks, then it’s fake and insincere to practice thankfulness. But thankfulness is not a feeling or based on what’s going on in our lives but rather it’s an offering to God.

God Calls Us to Be Thankful

God understands it can be difficult for us to give thanks during trying times but He wants us to be willing to be thankful even when we don’t feel like it.

Psalm 100:4, expresses God’s call to us to be thankful. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

His will is for us to approach Him with thankfulness. Yet many of us misunderstand God’s directive to give thanks in all circumstances, believing we’re supposed be thankful “for” everything when the truth is, God is asking us to be thankful “in” everything. Still some of us struggle with this concept, resisting thankfulness, thinking God is telling us to be thankful “for” the challenges. But we’re missing what He is really leading us to do, which is to be thankful despite the difficulties, to not let lack, losses, disappointments, and hurts keep us from expressing our gratefulness to Him.

Sacrificial Thankfulness

Throughout Scripture God emphasizes the importance of thankfulness, understanding that even if it’s sacrificial on our part, He is honored and glorified through it. Psalm 50:23, describes its benefits. “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor Me, and to the blameless I will show My salvation.”

As well, Psalm 116:17, encourages sacrificial thankfulness. “I will sacrifice a thank offering to You and call on the name of the Lord.”

Still with our human weaknesses and frailties, it may feel like God is asking too much of us, especially during times of huge disappointments, unbearable heartaches, and tremendous losses. It can seem beyond our capabilities to offer Him thanks amidst such deep devastations.

Practicing Sacrificial Thankfulness

If it’s God’s will for us to give thanks “in” everything, how do we begin? Prayer is the place to start. Colossians 4:2 urges us to keep alert in our prayers with an attitude of thankfulness, which involves recognizing where ungratefulness can creep into our thoughts, words, and even our prayers.

At times when we think there is absolutely nothing, we can find to be grateful for in our lives, we can be thankful for Jesus Christ and the Salvation we receive through Him. Even when life seems empty, we can give thanks to God for His peace, presence, faithfulness, and comfort. As Colossians 3:17 urges, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

In experiencing everyday disappointments, job losses, natural disasters, financial stresses, and more, thankfulness helps us to cultivate a trust in God. Like Isaiah 12:2 assures, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense. He has become my salvation.” Even in situations that seem hopeless, like there couldn’t possibly be any good ever come from them, God promises to work them together for our good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Intersecting Faith and Life:

If you’re finding thankfulness difficult to express, try beginning each day by finding one reason to be thankful to God, then throughout the day, take time to offer thanks to Him.

By: Lynette Kittle

Source: Crosswalk Devotionals

Lies with Truth

I set my Bible on the podium and stared at the eager faces waiting for me to begin the message. I’d prayed and prepared. Why couldn’t I speak?

You’re worthless. No one will ever listen to you, especially if they know your past. And God would never use you. Seared into my heart and mind, these words spoken in various ways over my life ignited a decade-long war against the lies I so easily believed. Though I knew the words weren’t true, I couldn’t seem to escape my insecurities and fears. So I opened my Bible.

Turning to Proverbs 30:5, I inhaled and exhaled slowly before reading out loud. “Every word of God is flawless,” I read, “he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” I closed my eyes as peace overwhelmed me, and I began to share my testimony with the crowd.

Many of us have experienced the paralyzing power of negative words or opinions others have of us. However, God’s words are “flawless,” perfect and absolutely sound. When we’re tempted to believe spirit-crushing ideas about our value or our purpose as God’s children, God’s enduring and infallible truth protects our minds and our hearts. We can echo the psalmist who wrote: “I remember, Lord, your ancient laws, and I find comfort in them” (Psalm 119:52).

Let’s combat lies we’ve accepted about God, ourselves, and others by replacing negative speak with Scripture.

By:  Xochitl Dixon