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5011 Liberty Road; Greensboro,
NC Office 336-674-6538; FAX 336-676-0505 sebc@gosoutheast.org Home | Interactive Map |
2004 Advent Daily Devotional GuideAnticipating Our Lord Through ...
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Southeast Home Page | 2004 Advent Introduction | Children's Pictures | Acknowledgments
| Advent I | Advent II | Advent III | Advent IV | Epiphany |
| Nov 28 - Dec 4 | Dec 5-11 | Dec 12-18 | Dec 19-25 | Dec 26 - Jan 1 |
| Advent IV - Presence | His Presence Among Us- Layman Cash |
| Sunday December 19 | Amy Ledbetter |
| Monday December 20 | Benjy Triplett |
| Tuesday December 21 | Jeffrey Shepherd |
| Wednesday December 22 | Susanne Settle |
| Thursday December 23 | Linda Starr |
| Friday December 24 | Linda Wayne |
| Saturday December 25 | Sue Smith |
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| PRESENCE -
Sunday December 19, 2004 "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." Matthew 1:18-19 (NIV) Why would God choose to set the advent of his only Son's arrival on earth in the midst of such a controversial situation? An unwed mother…would anyone believe her fabulous story of an angel's visit? Would Joseph? A virgin birth…how many people suspected this to be some sort of hastily conceived plot, straight out of the pages of the National Enquirer, to cover up an illicit affair? Why allow His Son's birth to be shrouded in a cloud of suspicion, controversy, and doubt? Just marvel at all the "unconventional" facets there are to this story…A young girl, nothing special about her, engaged to a carpenter of simple means. A conception that flies in the face of what we know to be biologically possible and undoubtedly raised suspicious eyebrows on every single person who found out about it. A birth so humble that it took place in a barn surrounded by animals because the parents were not wealthy or influential enough to warrant the hospitality (or even the notice) of anyone. No medical attention, no hospital room, no fancy birth announcements or cigars to pass out. The new family was congratulated, not by excited family members, but by complete strangers - commoners and foreigners. Why? To prove that God has power over biology. To prove that the laws of nature and the laws of men mean nothing to Him. To show that He can triumph over all our fears and conflict to bring about His wonderful purpose. To show that everything that we believe about what is possible or about the way things are "supposed to happen" is meaningless fabrication. God's presence at Christmas shows us possibility in the impossible. It smashes down every barrier and boundary and box that we try to erect around it. His presence cannot be contained. God, nothing is outside of your realm of possibility. This year I will not put limits on what is limitless - I will expect the unexpected. Amy Ledbetter |
| PRESENCE
- Monday December 20, 2004 It has been hard for me to get started writing this devotional; not because I object to serving God, but instead, because it's often difficult for me to get out of the way and allow God to work through me. It's much more comfortable for me to rely on my own studies of Scripture, and my own intellect, in drafting a devotional. It's still not instinctual for me to pray for God to send me His message, and then wait patiently until I feel His presence confirming the way to proceed. We are trained from birth to become self-reliant; trained that our success in life is directly related to the intensity, quality, and longevity of our individual efforts. As Christians, however, our minds have been told through John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." While we hear the message with our mind, we do not want to believe this truth in our hearts. No one wants to believe in their heart that without God's daily intervention on our behalf, we can "do nothing". Yet the acknowledgement of this truth in our heart is a prerequisite God requires before His face will shine upon us. The leper in Matthew 8:2-3 was fully aware in both his mind and his heart that there was absolutely nothing he could do to restore his life when he said "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. Jesus healed the leper because of his faith and acknowledgement that only the Lord could restore his life. God's grace is similar to the sun high above a dark and dense cloud; try as we might, we cannot move the dark clouds of our lives without Him. To see His face shining down upon us we only have to humbly acknowledge in our hearts that all of our efforts will amount to nothing without Him; and we must faithfully pray and patiently wait as God removes the dark clouds and restores us to life abundant. Benjy Triplett |
| PRESENCE
- Tuesday December 21, 2004 I sat down to write this devotional and I read the verses given to me. I thought for a moment , and a moment more. I was dumbfounded on what to write. It is kind of like when Jesus first came to earth, people who were expecting him had no clue about what to do. They were expecting a glorious king born into riches . Instead they received a lowly baby born in a stable. At first they did not accept Him as he was, but later they found out they needed him to go to heaven and God, also to be saved. Just like I need him, I even needed Him to write this. I still need Him and I'll always need Him, and so will you. We all need His presence in our life to get through the daily struggles we face. Walk in that presence, in the "light" daily, and you will feel like nothing you've ever felt before. Let God take over for you and you be His servant. Reach out to others and bring them into the light of God's presence. What we need to do is bask in His presence, accept it with open arms and you will live a better life. I once saw a bumper sticker that said " If God is in the passenger seat.....switch places". I cannot express this enough, I simply can't. So listen as I finish this up. We need God to live our daily lives! We alone can not make it. Accept His presence in your life gratefully to it's fullest extent, and bow down before Him, surrender your life to Jesus. Give Him the glory and the honor.
Dear Lord, please let these readers and
me, Lord, see how important you are in our lives, and that we need you,
you alone. Lord, just let them give themselves to you, let them give
their all Lord. In Your Holy Precious name, Amen. |
| PRESENCE
- Wednesday December 22, 2004 "Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. " - Psalm 80: 7 Oh, how many times I have asked God to help me keep my eyes on Him. I tend to focus on whatever I choose to see, easily blocking out what I choose not to see. In seeking God's presence, I have concentrated on my need for His direction. Is there not an equally blessed gift in the simple, clear glow from His face? Have I missed a part of God's presence by not noticing that His face was shining? Sometimes I have wanted tangible guidance to keep me on His path. Other times I have wanted to guide myself. Yet, His face was there, shining upon me. I have felt His power and protection. I have felt His majesty and guidance. However, I have neglected His shining face by not taking the time to notice it and feel it. His presence includes the light from His face, not just His awesome power. There have been so many times I have felt darkness, yet I was not in the dark. Restoration and light were shining down while I was asking for directions and looking for answers to be revealed to me. Psalm 80:7 reminds me that God's salvation and restoration stream down unendingly, as His face shines upon us. As I praise and thank God for His gifts to me, during this Christmas season and throughout each day of my life, may I see and feel the light shining on me from His face. Susanne Settle |
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PRESENCE - Thursday December 23, 2004
"God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 |
| PRESENCE
- Friday December 24, 2004
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us." - Matthew 1:23 Anticipation is a powerful emotion! As you make last minute preparations for tomorrow - Christmas day - you do so with anticipation. Some people look forward to a special gift or a special food (Breakfast casserole, sweet potato casserole, fruit cake, cranberry salad, Christmas candies, etc.). I have found that what I anticipate most of all is being with family and friends. Being close to people you love is one of the greatest joys of Christmas. We've been preparing for weeks, with great anticipation, to again celebrate the birth of our Savior. We know that He is with us, abides within us, in every breath of life. Yet, there is something exceptional and wonderful built into the anticipation of worship and sharing wrapped around His birth. The gifts of the Magi - gold, frankincense and myrrh - were all costly items. But their value fades in comparison to the fact that these men traveled hundreds of miles to worship Jesus in person. As you anticipate Christmas day, remember what is really important - not gifts, but human presence. That was God's greatest gift to us so many years ago - His own holy Presence in the loving human form of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus is called Immanuel, "God with us". The Presence of God is with you, whether you are surrounded by family and friends or are entirely alone. I pray that you will feel the warm and holy Presence all about you. Linda Wayne |
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Southeast Home Page | 2004 Advent Introduction | Children's Pictures | Acknowledgments
| Advent I | Advent II | Advent III | Advent IV | Epiphany |
| Nov 28 - Dec 4 | Dec 5-11 | Dec 12-18 | Dec 19-25 | Dec 26 - Jan 1 |
