She is a mom, wife, and passionate believer that Jesus changes everything.
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December 1
Devotion inspired by “Joy to the World” by Isaac Watts
Based on Psalm 98; 96:11-12; & Genesis 3:17-18
Lyrics
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.
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Today’s Devotion
We’ve all probably heard countless times the phrase, “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
It’s a bit of a cliche comment at this point, but it remains true. The foundational reason we celebrate Christmas is to commemorate the most poignant mark in history, when God became a human baby to enter this world with the purpose of freeing it from the curse of sin.
So while Jesus is the center of Christmas, the bigger question that we’ll begin this devotional series with is this:
“What was the reason for Jesus?”
And in examining that question, we can take a good look at why Christmas – the observance of God becoming human – exists in the first place.
In order to understand the Christmas story, as we see most prominently described in Luke 2, we have to go all the way to the beginning of the Bible, in the Garden where Adam and Eve failed.
Genesis 3:17-18 NIV
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
After the Fall of humanity, there was little hope to restore the broken relationship between humans and God. When humans decided to disobey God, sin was born and the curse came. The prevalence of sin meant that God’s creation was no longer able to remain close with Him, but instead was left to toil in the harsh, sin-drenched world.
We still live in that same world, except there has been one very important change.
Jesus.
The little baby born in Bethlehem, Jesus the Christ, the Redeemer. And that is who we celebrate this season. We celebrate hope. We celebrate redemption. We celebrate that God doesn’t abandon His people, no matter how much they disobey.
As Issac Watts describes it in “Joy To The World,” the hope of Jesus spreads as “far as the curse is found.”
Sin has permeated all of existence, but through the work of Jesus, so has God’s love, mercy and endless forgiveness.
God is good, immeasurably good, and it is the act, where the Word of God left the heavenly realm and came into our broken mess as the baby Jesus that created the path back to restoration with God.
In Christmas, we have a light that points to the day where there will be no more death, no more decay, no more pain. And it is all because of Jesus Christ.
Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season… and heaven and nature sing.
Heaven and nature sing…
Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing!
Prayer
Jesus,
Beautiful, wonderful Jesus. Thank you for what you have done for this world and for me. You give me hope and you bring me joy! May my heart catch on fire for the gift of your joy. May today be a day I am bursting with You that the world may see what I have alive in me, and that is You! Amen.
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Creative Christmas Quiet Time Workbook
I created this book to be perfect for a Christmas gift or as a gift to yourself. A very special resource this Christmas season!
7 chapters based on 7 Bible verses and words of Christmas.
1. Matt. 2:10 – Joy
2. Luke 1:30 – Favor
3. John 11:27 – Believe
4. Isaiah 9:6b – Called
5. John 14:27 – Peace
6. Isaiah 7:14 – Hope
7. Psalm 95:2 – Praise
Each chapter has a Scripture coloring sheet, a devotion based on the Scripture, and two worksheets to process and apply the material!
Grab your copy, either digital or printed, and enjoy a creative and meaningful Quiet Time with the Lord!
