Advent Devotions - Dec 22

So, it's been a busy couple of days, almost forgot to do my devotions today. Yesterday I just didn't have time to get on-line, at least not long enough for devotions. Didn't like that much, so today before bed I thought hold-on....we can't let another yesterday go by so....here I am. :)

Anyways, todays scripture is taken from Romans 15, it is from, well okay, I'm not sure exactly who made it, I think Luther Hour Ministries, but I'm not sure. BUT this is where to find it on-line.

The particular verse this devotional focused on was Romans 15:13. There we read:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15 is a chapter where Paul is reminding the believers that Christ is their hope. That Christ did not just come for the Jewish people, but he also came for the gentiles, it's even written in the Old Testament. God came for all peoples.

As Paul writes in the beginning of Chapter 15

4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's word is written down for us. It is there for our instruction. So together, our endurance and the encouragement of Scripture will cause us to live in harmony with each other. God does not want jewish and gentile believers fighting with one another.

I personally believe that God doesn't want any of his children to be fighting with each other. We should be encouraged and taught by his word. We should be able to see from his word how God wants us to treat each other. As we live in harmony with each other, we bring further glory to God!

Hmm... that makes me think you know. That the more we Christians fight with each other....especially over silly things like musical styles, or pews/seats, organ/band/piano, hymns only or all types of worship music, and so on and so forth, the more we are NOT bringing glory to God and therefore need to seriously look at what we are doing. Let us stop and see what we are doing this Christmas season. Let us see that our reason to hope and believe is found in Christ. God sent his son down to earth, he showed mercy to us. It's the least that we can do, to live in such a way that we bring glory to his name.

The 'devotional' part of todays reading reminds us that

This Advent we may eagerly anticipate celebrating Jesus’ birth, but the celebration itself should not be what fills us with joy and peace. What fills us with God’s joy is that our Savior has already come and has won our salvation, and that He is coming again to bring our salvation to its ultimate fulfillment.

Until Jesus comes back for His second (final) coming, we live by faith through an extended Advent season. We trust that just as God has kept His promise in Christ’s first Advent, so He will also keep His promise of a glorious reunion with Jesus. This faith is what fills us with joy and peace as we hope for Christ’s coming. Because God is trustworthy, our hope is absolutely certain and true; therefore we are filled with joy and peace … right now.

Let us then live in that hope.
Let us then live as a people who trust in all the promises of God.
Let us then live as a people bringing Glory to God's name.
Let us then live in harmony with our fellow believers this Christmas.