Advent Devotion: Revering God - Malachi 2:5

Malachi 2:5    “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.” 

Reverence is something that appears to be missing in our present world. That’s a pity because reverence is such a wonderful gift to experience. Giving reverence to God means to humble yourself before Him, as well as surrendering to His will and simply choosing to serve Him. There’s a great peace that can come into a person’s soul when, as the psalmist wrote long ago, their ‘delight is in the Lord.’

In midst of our daily stresses, artificial urgencies, and constant pressures, we could learn a lot from the people and prophets in the past who devoted their days to the Lord. It wasn’t always easy, but there seemed to be more satisfaction in sacred things and holy ways. I sometimes wonder if we aren’t ‘gadgetizing’ ourselves to an early grave and a purposeless life simply because we’ve become technologically distracted from the mysteries, wonders, and beauty of God.

As we head into another church year (Advent is the beginning of the Christian calendar), perhaps we should try to recapture the blessing of revering God with our time, our thoughts, and our devotion. It could be the beginning of a new life for each of us…J.

Question for personal reflection

What can I do with my life to make reverence of God a choice and not an inconvenience?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You revered God throughout Your life on Earth. You taught us how important revering God should be in our lives. Forgive us for being distracted with unimportant things and tasks. Help us to reclaim time to honestly and simply revere God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s 2012 nativity drawings called ‘Emmanuel,’ which features the Holy Family in a snow globe decoration. If you would like to view a larger version, then please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/8170459261_03d3204704_b.jpg

John also has signed limited edition signed prints of this beautiful drawing. Just contact him by email for details.

Devotion for Thanksgiving: A Tale of Two Gifts

Zechariah 12:10         “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”

John 1:14       The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

The older I get, the more I need God’s grace in my life. Decades ago, I thought it would be the reverse. I believed then that I would by now have worked out all of my flaws, failings, and mistakes because I would be older, wiser, and more mature. The reality is a whole lot different: I get set in my ways, whine for the good old days, and feel out of place. Ecclesiastical curmudgeonary and dinosaurial drudgery can best describe me at times. I was born in the 1950’s, raised in the sixties, and formed in the seventies. I’m a 20^th century man living in a 21^st century world. I know how I would like things to be but there’s no going back; in order to accommodate a new bold world, I constantly need an old beautiful gift: grace.

The two Bible verses for today were written hundreds of years apart, but they express God’s remedy for a broken world in almost the same terms: ‘grace and supplication’ and ‘grace and truth.’ In the Old Testament, God’s patience and mercy were appealed to through the means of sacrifice and supplication. In the New Testament, the Supreme Sacrifice had already been made, so the opportunity of God’s patience and mercy were given through this truth: Jesus is the Savior of our sins. In the past, grace was a means of being granted the permission to approach God; now grace through Christ means that we can not only approach God, but we may also abide with Him forever.

Grace: an ancient, blessed, and beautiful gift from God granted to us today (and for all time) through Jesus Christ our Lord and King.

Question for personal reflection

How many times have I needed God’s grace this week?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You were given to us to become the ultimate sacrifice and universal Savior of the world. By Your obedience and death, we have been given God’s grace and life. We will always be truly thankful for Your wonderful gift. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or ask a question of him, please send an email to Traqair@aol.com. John is always delighted to read your comments and answer your questions.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Nativity drawing for 2012. It’s called “First Family” and is currently being used by churches in the United States, Switzerland, and England for their Christmas advertizing campaigns. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8193/8132931651_2e0cee43a8_b.jpg

John has signed 8x11 prints available. Contact him by email for details.

Advent Devotions: Waiting for Jesus

Advent devotions for Kindle fire are now available via my new Advent devotions e-book, "Waiting for Jesus." It contains fifty Advent devotions which can be used as personal reflections each morning and evening of the first 25 days of December.

These Advent devotions prepare Christians spiritually in the midst of the pressures leading up to Christmas. Both Kindle and Kindle Fire users will enjoy the reflections as well as the many art illustrations that I have included in the book.

So if you're looking for an Advent devotions e-book, then why not look at what I've written for this year. It only costs $1.99 and can be read not just by Kindle and Kindle Fire owners, but all computer users everywhere who have downloaded the Kindle app to their system.

You can view the Advent devotions book at the following link:

http://amzn.to/TWhiHO