One of my fondest childhood memories

Every day we would open one of the cardboard doors and behind each one we’d find a tiny chocolate. Every one of the chocolates was uniquely molded in a Christmas related shape. It was a fun diversion for us as kids as we impatiently awaited the arrival of Christmas day. But it doesn’t tell us much about the actual season of Advent. What is Advent?

The season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, somewhere between November 27 and December 3, depending on the year.  Advent is the period leading up to Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ. It is unknown when this tradition first began, but this period of waiting is often seen in the Christian tradition as a reminder that the world remains waiting for Jesus’ return.

The traditional color of Advent is purple, the color often associated with royalty, although today blue and red are also used. Modern day celebrations of Advent include  Advent calendars, Advent wreaths, lighting special Advent candles, and a series of themed Sunday messages leading up to Christmas day.

Take the next step:

Was Jesus born on December 25th?
Take a lesson: Discovering Advent
Home Alone for the Holidays – When the most joyous time of year … isn’t.

Do you or your family have Advent traditions? Share them with us in the comments!

Image credit: tollens, used with permission, Creative Commons 2.0 License.

Please open your Bible and read Mark 3:1-6.

Ever been cut off in traffic? Had someone cut in front of you in line? Gotten a bad haircut? If so, you may have felt angry.

Jesus got angry too, but He only got angry about important stuff. His anger was righteous anger and directed against those whose minds were so jaded and hearts so hard that they would rather follow their own laws and let a man suffer than see him healed!

Our own anger usually isn’t so honorable. We often get angry about frivolous things while not getting angry about stuff that really matters. However, Jesus’ response to the Pharisees gives us a helpful principle that we can apply in our own lives to respond better any time we’re angry: Turn anger into grace.

“[Jesus] looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.” (Mark 3:5) Instead of lashing out at those who’d angered Him, Jesus turned His anger into a wonderful good deed. He turned His anger into an act of grace.

When we’re angry, we need to respond somehow. Bottling up our anger (or, for that matter, jealousy, or depression, or anxiety) will only lead to more inner turmoil. So from now on, let’s choose to respond in the way Jesus did: By following Jesus’ example of turning anger into grace and doing something good: “We love because God loved us first.” (1 John 4:19, CEV)

Anger, turned into good! And maybe, through this human act of grace, someone who doesn’t yet know Jesus “may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12) and by your act of grace come to know the greatest grace they’ll ever know: God’s grace.

Question: When do you get angry most often, and what opportunities are there in those situations to turn that anger into grace?

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

The In Flanders Fields poem was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on May 3 1915. He wrote it after witnessing the death of his friend on the battlefield the day before. It is a solemn reminder of the atrocities of war and an admonishment to steadfastly remain vigilant even when faced with terrifying adversity.

On this day we honor those who bravely fought for freedom and justice, and many of whom bravely gave their lives for the noble cause. It goes by different names in different places, including Remembrance Day, Veteran’s Day, Poppy Day, and Armistice Day, but the sentiment is the same: Not to glorify the tragedy of war, but to commemorate the valor of those who fought to defend their country.

Brigadier General (ret.) Robinson Risner, a veteran pilot who fought in World War 2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, is one of those brave military soldiers who we should remember today. Despite being shot down twice over enemy territory, and being captured and tortured, each time it happened he wasted no time taking to the skies again, ready to serve his country. Read his story: Enduring Torture in a POW Camp

Please feel free to share your own stories of remembrance or commemoration in the comments below. If you feel the need to speak with someone in private, our online mentors are always available to listen.

Please open your Bible and read Matthew 28:16-20.

Evangelism. Does the word make you uncomfortable? It makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Sharing the good news of the gospel is sometimes a thankless job. Yet Jesus calls us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Don’t we have an obligation to share the message of God’s grace and love with others? Paul says “woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16, KJV) It would be rather selfish to keep such amazing truth to ourselves!

Why then is evangelism so uncomfortable? One reason is that we’re worried that we’ll fail. We know that often people don’t accept the gospel. Sometimes people refuse to believe even what’s right in front of their face. Read the passage from Matthew again about when Jesus appeared on the mountain to the disciples: “When they saw him [Jesus], they worshiped him – but some of them doubted!” (Matthew 28:17) Did you catch that? Some of the disciples even doubted!

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee, Jesus lamented that we Christians “speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony” (John 3:11). We shouldn’t feel that we’ve failed when people do not accept the gospel, for it is only through God’s grace, not our own efforts, that someone may be saved. By sharing our faith and giving someone to think about, we may have helped alter their life course to bring them one step closer to knowing the living God.

A second reason is that we may have negative images of what evangelism is like. Street evangelism (such as handing out tracts or shouting “Repent sinners!”) is surely not the only way to share our faith. The internet, for example, gives us an incredible new method to reach people all over the world. Over one billion people worldwide now have access to the Internet, and this is an amazing opportunity to share the gospel all over the world regardless of whether you are shy or outgoing. Your talents and God-given gifts can be used for ministry online. Let’s use the internet for God’s glory!

“Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!” Psalm 107:2, NLT

Questions: Why do most people find evangelism so uncomfortable? How can we seek to alleviate this discomfort?

“We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God’s kindness to you. In the Scriptures God says,
“When the time came, I listened to you,
and when you needed help, I came to save you.”
That time has come. This is the day for you to be saved.” 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, CEV

Imagine that you give someone a fabulous gift. When they receive it, they positively beam with excitement and enthusiasm, and thank you profusely for giving them for giving them such a great present.

Then they toss it into their closet and ignore it forever.

You might wonder about the authenticity of their praise.

We might also wonder about our own spiritual walk when we do not “make good use of God’s kindness” to us (2 Corinthians 6:1). Although we are not saved by our own works, our response in faith to God’s grace given by Jesus’ death and resurrection reflects the change which has occurred in our hearts as the Holy Spirit has come to live and work inside us.

If we believe we have found the greatest hope, the greatest love, the greatest truth in the world, how could we not share this truth with others? The apostle Paul has a stern warning for us: “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” (Romans 11:22) That’s pretty harsh, but underscores the importance of making use of the kindness God has shown to us.

According to a survey of over 700 Muslims who came to faith in Christ, by far the largest single thing that influenced them to become Christians was seeing the lives of Christians that stood out due to the kindness and love they demonstrated. Therefore, let’s accept God’s kindness with thanksgiving, and not just put it on the shelf, but in turn offer kindness to others, so that they too might come to know the gracious God who proves such a wonderful gift for all who are willing to accept it.

Question: How has God shown you kindness, and how can you through everyday actions show kindness to others?

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

I love the Bible. It’s God’s Word, our ultimate source of truth. It contains not only the grand story of the beginning of time and space and our Earth, but also the intimate story of God’s people, and the glorious coming of God’s Son Jesus Christ for our salvation.

But even so, I find that there are times in my life when my daily Bible reading becomes merely routine, if I happen to do it at all. In fact, sometimes I wonder about the Bible: Couldn’t God have given us a more efficient manual? What I mean is, it sometimes seems so complicated. Did you know that the Bible has 66 books, containing 1,189 chapters and 31,170 verses? Instead of 17 major and minor prophets, for example, maybe we could have been given a list of the top 10 marriage tips instead?

Then I think: God didn’t want to give us the kind of book that you read once and put on the shelf. He wasn’t interested in giving us a pamphlet. God wanted to give us something that would engage us and continue to challenge us for a lifetime. He, in His infinite wisdom, gave us a book that was so deep that we could read it every hour of every day of our entire lives and still not exhaust its wisdom.

If you’ve spent any serious amount of time reading the Bible you can probably attest to how you’ve read a passage a dozen or more times before, but somehow this time, it hits you in a totally new way as God illuminates your mind to deeper meaning and fuller understanding. “How did I not see it before?” you think. And it’s so amazing how deep this book is!

God Himself is like that: Our great God isn’t someone of whom you could say, “Oh, God? Yeah, I met him once, I think.” God is so amazingly great that it’s a lifelong process to know Him. He wants us not to just know ABOUT Him, but to know Him intimately. And for that, a simple pamphlet won’t do.

God, we thank you for your Word, the wisdom of which can never be exhausted!

Question: How has your Bible reading been lately? Is it time to begin to re-read it with “new eyes”?

Sometimes, it’s okay to say ‘no’ when people ask you to do things. Jesus Himself sometimes respectfully refused when people demanded things from Him that were contrary to His mission:

* Brothers’ squabbling? Jesus hadn’t come to decide such things (Luke 12:14).
* Begging Jesus to stay in Capernaum? “We must go on to other towns as well” Jesus replies (Mark 1:38)
* Herod’s questions? “Jesus refused to answer” (Luke 23:9)
* Be our Earthly King? Jesus had bigger plans! (John 6:15)

Consider Romans 12:4-8. All of us are called to use our abilities to help our church. Some may have a gift in public speaking. Others may get weak in the knees at the very thought. We all have something to offer. Whether our talent is serving, teaching, encouraging, leadership, kindness, or whatever else, we should use that gift to the fullest in the service of God in His body, His church. But this does not mean that we have to say ‘yes’ every time we are asked to do something.

“All men think of themselves as kind of low level superheroes … when men are growing up reading about Batman, Spider – man, Superman, these aren’t fantasies, these are options.” (Jerry Seinfeld, I’m Telling You For the Last Time)

We are not superheroes. We don’t have to do it all. Sometimes we say ‘yes’ just to please the person asking. But we are called to do something, not everything, and we must aim to please God, not people. Consider what Paul said: “I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant” (Galatians 1:10). By agreeing to speak in public when the mere thought fills us with terror, not only are we ignoring God’s gifts, but we may be taking the opportunity away from someone who is truly gifted in this area.

Jesus was able to achieve His mission in only three short years because he focused on His mission. Perhaps if we do the same, by playing to our strengths, so too will our efforts be magnified a hundredfold. How we go about furthering our mission as a member of God’s body depends on our gifts. Let us refocus ourselves today on using the gifts that God has given us to the fullest. And remember, it’s OK to say no.

Question: Which unnecessary obligations do you have that are preventing you from serving God to the fullest of your ability?

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.” (Philippians 2:14, NLT)

Do you enjoy waking up early? I don’t. I emphasize with the psalmist when he writes: “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.” (Psalm 119:147, NLT)

It’s not that I’m lazy, I’m just not a “morning person”. That’s why I need to continually turn away from the temptation to complain.

Just after the Exodus, when Moses had miraculously led the Israelites out of Egypt, the Israelites sung a song of praise to the Lord for their deliverance. (See Exodus 15.) But just a few days later they encountered hardship and quickly changed their tune. The title of the next section after the Israelite’s song of praise reads “Complaining in the Wilderness,” in my Bible, which is a poignant example the way our hearts can often be fickle.

How can we guard against becoming “complainers in the wilderness”?

Think about the end of Psalm 119:147: “I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.” Throughout the Bible we are constantly reminded to remember what God has done for us. All history is truly “His story” … the story of God’s mighty acts. When we are faced with difficult times, we can reflect upon what God has already done for us, and His promises for the future which we find in His Word, because we know that God is faithful and will fulfill all that He has promised to us, including our own resurrections to eternal life in fellowship with God Himself.

I’m still not a morning person. But I try to remember that when I wake up early, that groggy feeling lasts only a few fleeting moments, and then the rest of the divinely gifted day awaits me. It’s hard to complain about a free gift, and a promise of the ultimate free gift to come.

Question: What has been bothering you lately that you need to bring to God in prayer?

Please open your Bible and read Mark 4:35-41.

When we read the story of Jesus calming the waves, there are a lot of things we could focus on, but I’d like to focus on how the disciples responded. After “the wind died down and it was completely calm,” Jesus asks the disciples “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples’ recorded response tells us something about them: “They were terrified.”

These disciples were not supermen. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen, while Matthew was a hated tax collector. They were regular people, selected not for their great knowledge of the scriptures, nor for their political acumen or even for their exuberant faith … mostly because they possessed none of these qualities.

Imagine a company conducting interviews to hire someone for an important job position. Then imagine the company selecting a woefully underqualified person instead of a someone who’s much more experienced. Unlike the other applicants, the chosen person didn’t have a resume full of impressive achievements. Would you wonder what the HR department was up to?

When we read the gospels, we don’t discover disciples who are described in piously unbelievable tones; they are described as authentic (and authentically flawed) human beings. If they were at a job interview, they wouldn’t have much previous experience. But Paul notes that “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27) And God, able to know the depths of your heart, is more concerned about you than your resume.

God is patient, and God is kind, because God is love. (1 Corinthians 13:4, 1 John 4:16) Whenever you feel inadequate, like you want to ask “Who am I, Lord, to be chosen for this task?” just remember the disciples, terrified on a boat in the middle of the lake. In reality they were always secure because they were with their Lord. Embrace your role as an everyday disciple in your daily journey with Jesus, who is with you always!

Question: How can you be an “everyday disciple” today through your daily activities?

Please open your Bible and read Matthew 20:1-16.

There’s a line in a song by Relient K that goes “the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.” I thought of this line as I read this passage, the “Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard” (Matthew 20:1-16). I also thought back to when I read it for the first time.

I was not a Christian then, and when I read this passage, I thought, “How ridiculous! How unfair! The workers who did more work should be paid more!” I didn’t understand the meaning behind the parable. I didn’t understand God’s grace. And I didn’t recognize myself, the one who had grown up apart from God, as the one in the parable coming late!

If each one of us received what’s “fair”, we would not like the result very much. In truth, when we ask for fairness, often we’re really asking for special treatment. The sins others commit that cause us to turn up our noses are often the very same ones that we’re hoping God will overlook.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8, TNIV)

Whether you have been a Christian all your life or only came to know the Lord very recently, God has graciously offered you so much more than you deserve: Eternal life spent in glorious relationship with Him. We are all equally undeserving, and we are all equally given this gift. Praise God that grace is “not fair”!

Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart. (Psalm 28:6-7a, NLT)

Question: How has God blessed you lately that is far beyond what would be “fair”?