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December 9, 2008
Preparing for Jesus
Joy to the World |
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Greetings!
Through the Christmas season our devotions will follow themes building to the "reason for the season" ... the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Most importantly, we will set our hearts in devotion to the Christ we celebrate and unpack the great gift that is His love and compassion.
This past weekend, I began to listen to the carols we sing with great interest and delight. These annual songs are such an inspiration and expound on the truth of the gospel. For the next four weeks, we will read the lyrics of a carol and scripture that expounds on the theme found in the song. I hope you enjoy this Christmas series and are blessed with the joy of Jesus Christ this wonderful Christmas season!
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Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." 4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
~ 1 Samuel 7:3-4 ~ |
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Prepare Him Room
Can you imagine Jesus Christ leaving Heaven to visit your home? What would you do? What would you get out? What would you put away? How would you act?
It is an amazing thought that Jesus Christ would leave Heaven's praise, worship and glory to visit you but that is exactly what He did over 2000 years ago! This truth is what Christmas is about. Jesus paid the price to not only visit you but to live with and through you. The question is, "Are you ready for Him?"
"Joy to the World" is a song that proclaims the good news of the gospel ... that Jesus, our King, has come! He has come and we get to experience the "wonders of His love". He has come and He reigns over sin and sorrow. He did His part by coming. Our part is to prepare Him room.
The passage is 1 Samuel 7 concludes a story about the people of Israel that were worshiping idols and serving other gods. God's chosen people, the Jews, had turned their hearts from Him and were being ruled and plagued by the Philistines. The word of the Lord came to Israel through the prophet Samuel. God said four things to get Israel back on track. Four things that are applicable to us this Christmas season - four things that will help us prepare for the Lord:
- Return to God with all your heart,
- Stop worshiping idols and false gods (anything that takes you away from God - fame, stuff, people, etc.),
- Prepare your hearts (confess, repent, worship, thank, etc.); and,
- Serve God!
There is no magic formula to Joy this Christmas season. Joy to the World is not just a song but a fact. The world is joyful because Jesus has come. Now, we must simply prepare our hearts for His coming and habitation. Get ready for Jesus by following the Word of the Lord as spoken through Samuel. Prepare your heart for Jesus. Prepare your heart for this incredible season. Make Him room!
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For King and Kingdom,
Randy Martin |
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