Now Is The Time...of Joy! - Advent Part IV

"In the time of My favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.

I tell you, now is the time of God's favor,

now is the day of salvation."

- 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Lighting the Way - Advent Part 4

Dear Friend,

The last couple of weeks have been filled with Christmas celebrations, school concerts, church productions, and shopping expeditions, all in preparation for a single day birthed over 2000 years ago. Our prayer, as believers, is that these presentations (and preparations) would be a witness to our friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors, of the true meaning of Christmas.

With only a few days until all the hustle and bustle comes to a grand conclusion and we can finally breathe a sigh of relief that our hard work and effort has ended and the celebration can begin, we can't help but have our thoughts shift to that wondrous day when all our labor will be over and we will spend eternity rejoicing with our glorious and exalted Lord.

This has been a wondrous year full of God's favor with Him providing us many opportunities to respond to His promptings to seek His face and return to Him with wholehearted devotion. Our obedience and dependence upon Him is what makes our joy complete. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:9-11).

In our advent devotion today, we look at the obedience of Mary, who accepted all that the Lord had said would happen to her, and rejoice in the Lord's fulfillment of His promises. As we consider on our own response to His call to obedience we find He has provided us a blueprint of His ideal servant:

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made Himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself and became obedient to death -

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father."

(Philippians 2:5-11)

Have a Merry and Joy-filled Christmas!

Continue to Light the Way...see the Advent devotional below.

Grace and Peace,

Traci Alexander

Trumpet and Torch Ministries

www.trumpetandtorch.org

Advent Devotional:

"Greetings, you who are highly favored!
The Lord is with you."

(Luke 1:26-38)

Lighting the Way - Delivering His Word - Luke 1:26-38

Mary was troubled by the words of the angel Gabriel. She wasn't sure what to make of such a bold greeting. The words were a beautiful blessing, but also carried the weight of one who had been handpicked by God for a specific purpose. We are reminded of Gideon, who was hiding out in the winepress when the angel of the Lord greeted him, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior!" (Judges 6:12). Both were servants, of the Most High God, who were chosen for a task (they felt ill-equipped for) that would save their people.

Somewhere in the process of the words falling from the heavenly realms until they take root in the heart of the chosen one, a fearful servant questionning: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" (2 Samuel 7:18b), is turned into a bold warrior couragelously volunteering: "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8b). There are times when the Lord calls us to do things we don't understand, but like Mary, Joseph, Gideon, and countless faithful others, He is looking for is our availability. Remember, He chose you because He knew you'd say "yes!" We can go forward, with confidence, knowing the One Who called us will accomplish what He has asked us to do because "The joy of the LORD is your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10b).

The final cup of the Passover feast - the Cup of Praise - was a symbol, for the Israelites, of their being set free from oppression. Their freedom came out of obedience to the Lord as they waited patiently, and prepared expectantly, for their release from bondage in Egypt. His praise should be continually on our lips as we faithfully go about the work we have been called to do - even though we may endure hardship and difficulty in the labor - joy will spring forth from our obedience. This cup of praise is the one cup that will remain until that great Wedding Feast when all our labor will be shown to not be in vain: "For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God" (Luke 22:16).

As we reflect on the miracle of Jesus' birth, we must remember that our trials will come to an end, while our joy will last for a lifetime: "A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:21-24).

As we light the fourth candle of Advent, the Angel's candle, we rejoice with the angels over the announcement of our Savior's birth! God ended 400 years of silence by uttering the most beautiful word ever spoken: Jesus Christ! Today, we must never forget that we have a God Who is with us and Who has brought us good news of great joy that will be for all people. We, as believers, have all been tasked with the labor of giving birth to His word each and every day, understanding, like John, that our joy will not, truly, be complete until everyone shares in the true knowledge of Jesus Christ (reference 1 John 1:4). As a faithful servant may you be strengthened as you daily sit at His table and feast on His word so that we might declare boldly, like Mary, "I am the Lord's servant...may it be to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38). Keep shining His Light!

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."

(Luke 2:14)

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