Tag: God

Advent Reflections: Psalm 40:1-3

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“I waited patiently for the Lord , and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Misery loves company. This saying is true in a couple of different ways. The first is that someone who is miserable will often try to make the people around him miserable, dragging them down into the much of life with him so that he isn’t alone down there. That’s the more common meaning of the phrase. It is also true, though, that someone who is in a miserable place in life can find hope and comfort by knowing she is not alone in her striving and struggling to get through a hard season of life. The season of Advent is a reminder that even when it feels like all the people around us are leaving us to our own miserable devices, there is one who is always ready to meet us there and bring comfort to us. Let’s talk about it.

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Advent Reflections: Psalm 42:9-11

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“I will say to God, my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?’ My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is your God?’ Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Christmas is the happiest time of the year except when it isn’t. During the Advent season everything is supposed to be perfect. For many people, though, this season is hard. They’ve experienced loss or hurt that makes the season anything other than sweet. The cultural pressure to be happy just makes it harder. What do we do when we’re supposed to be happy, but we’re just not. We go to the Scriptures, and especially the Psalms. Let’s talk about this one and what it has to do with Advent.

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Songs of the Season: Colossians 1:15-16

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“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The idea of gods coming to Earth and posing as humans to be able to interact with their people is not one that was invented by Christians. Indeed, if the gods never interacted with their people at all, they would be far more difficult for us to worship. Many religions across human history, then, have included some sort of a story – and in the case of polytheistic religions, many stories – of gods putting on humanity like a disguise in order to be among their people for one reason or another. But Christianity did introduce to the world the idea of a god becoming fully human. Throughout the Advent season we are preparing to celebrate the fact that God became a man. The ruler and creator of the world took on human flesh as a newborn baby. Today’s song of the season celebrates the wonder of this reality in a powerful way. Here is Manger Throne from Phil Wickham.

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Advent Reflections: Luke 11:1-4

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“He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘Whenever you pray, say, Father, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not bring us into temptation.’” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Throughout the season of Advent, we are to be preparing ourselves for Jesus’ arrival. One of the best ways to do this is through the spiritual disciplines. Of these several lines of ancient practice intended to put us into a posture of readiness for the action of God in, through, and around us, prayer sits among the most foundational. Knowing how to pray is something we often wonder about. Thankfully, Jesus gave us some instructions. Let’s talk about them.

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Morning Musing: John 8:31-32

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“Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There is a pulse of freedom that beats in every human heart. We weren’t made for slavery. And yet so many find themselves there. And I don’t just mean physical slavery. People are trapped by all sorts of different things…often in ways they don’t even realize or understand. And yet we know inside that something is keeping us from being able to do what we want. Then Jesus comes along promising freedom. Freedom comes with truth, but that idea comes with context. Let’s talk about it.

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