Advent Devotional 2021
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“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Luke 16:13 (NLT)
I have always loved Christmas time. I love the decorations, the food, and especially the gifts (I love both giving and receiving gifts). I love the songs of Christmas, the stories of Christmas . . . and up until this year, the devotionals of Christmas.
Why “up until this year?” This year I was assigned Luke 16 for our Church devotional. Luke 16 . . . the parable of the shrewd manager and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. How do you come up with a Christmas devotional on those two stories?
And then it dawned on me, these two parables teach us something that the shrewd manager and the rich man forgot: happiness is not found in a “what,” happiness is found in a “who.”
That is what John 3:16 teaches us; “For God so loved the world that he gave . . . “not a what but a who, His only son. Stuff can’t make us happy. That is why we are always looking for the next “thing.” We weren’t created to find happiness in stuff. We were created to find our happiness in a person, in Jesus. And that is what Christmas is all about.
May the real meaning of Christmas fill your hearts and lives and bring you joy and peace and happiness.
Why “up until this year?” This year I was assigned Luke 16 for our Church devotional. Luke 16 . . . the parable of the shrewd manager and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. How do you come up with a Christmas devotional on those two stories?
And then it dawned on me, these two parables teach us something that the shrewd manager and the rich man forgot: happiness is not found in a “what,” happiness is found in a “who.”
That is what John 3:16 teaches us; “For God so loved the world that he gave . . . “not a what but a who, His only son. Stuff can’t make us happy. That is why we are always looking for the next “thing.” We weren’t created to find happiness in stuff. We were created to find our happiness in a person, in Jesus. And that is what Christmas is all about.
May the real meaning of Christmas fill your hearts and lives and bring you joy and peace and happiness.
Prayer focus: Show us how to find contentment in our relationship with Jesus
Community prayer focus: Individuals living with chronic illnesses
Community prayer focus: Individuals living with chronic illnesses
Favorite Christmas Carol
“All is Well” (written by Michael W. Smith & Wayne Kirkpatrick)
I’ve loved this Christmas song for decades, because I’m able to listen to it and not sing along. I usually worship joyfully while singing, but sometimes, can get distracted while doing so. I know that sounds strange, but the beauty of the lyrics and the original recording helps me to just focus on the joy found ONLY in the reality of the Incarnation. Jesus comes into our world, God is with us, and while it may not feel like it at times, All is Well.
Brian Ralston
“All is Well” (written by Michael W. Smith & Wayne Kirkpatrick)
I’ve loved this Christmas song for decades, because I’m able to listen to it and not sing along. I usually worship joyfully while singing, but sometimes, can get distracted while doing so. I know that sounds strange, but the beauty of the lyrics and the original recording helps me to just focus on the joy found ONLY in the reality of the Incarnation. Jesus comes into our world, God is with us, and while it may not feel like it at times, All is Well.
Brian Ralston