Advent - Week 1
Posted by: WCSG | Sunday, December 3rd, 2023 (12:00am)
The Sacrifice of Our Savior Verse: “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 As the Christmas preparations and the advent season begin, the days are busy. It feels like any extra time and energy we have is used to put up the tree, decorate Christmas cookies, or wrap presents for the school party. Not to mention squeezing in time to see all your family and friends, while making sure the house stays semi-clean. It is a joy to experience another Christmas season, even with all the hustle and bustle, but what if we took just a moment to truly slow down in the midst of the craziness and to recognize the sacrifice of our Savior this Christmas season? Jesus was in heaven experiencing the richness of the glory of God, yet He came to earth to be born as a baby to be with us, to humble himself enough to relate to us and our sin, and to sacrifice everything for our sake. How humbling. It is truly wonderful to worship a God who cares for you that much, who desires a relationship with you, and wants you to come to him with everything that’s on your heart and mind. He was given to us to be our Counselor, our God and Father, and our Peace. What a blessing it is to recognize this sacrifice and celebrate this precious gift that’s been given to us this Christmas season. Challenge: 1 - Do you recognize the sacrifice of the Savior in your own life? 2 - Take time this week to reflect on the ways in your life that you see the Lord as a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
ROMANS 12:2 | NLTGrand Rapids / Lakeshore
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