Advent Devotions - Dec 11

Today's devotion is based on what we did in church yesterday.

The readings came from Malachi 3:1; Luke 1:68, and Luke 3:4-6.

Malachi 3:1 says

1"Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

Luke 1:68 says

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people

and Luke 3:4-6 says

4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

This reading talked about the hope that we have in Christ. There is not a lot of hope in a wee baby lying in a manger, in fact it was a time of hardship. As Jesus grew, other babies died in an effort to kill him. As he ministered, jewish leaders were constantly trying to kill him. One of his own betrayed him. It was not an easy time, and did not seem to be a time of hope at all. BUT >>> the hope is found when Jesus died, and then three days later, rose from the dead!

Our Lord is alive! He is coming again! Hope. There is a real reason for hope now. Jesus, the messenger and the message. He is coming again. Things will be and are being made anew. He purifies us, he refines us, he washed away the dirt from us. Through him, we have the hope of life anew. Through him, we have the hope of being God's children in everyway.

He is our salvation!