2005 Advent
 
Daily Devotional Guide 
 

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6 KJV
 

 Unto Us a Child is Born

“Come thou long expected Jesus,

Born to set the people free.

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in thee.”
 

The Shepherds must have been excited,

On a Judean hill that starry night.

When an angel appeared unto them,

To relieve their fears and calm their fright.
 

To announce a babe in a lowly manger,

Whose role as King would never cease.

A wonderful Counselor, Almighty God,

Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Layman Cash - 2005

Sunday December 25, 2005                                           Epiphany:  For Unto Us A Child Is Born      

The Most Precious Christmas Gift Luke 2, 8-20

I remember every year for Christmas my sisters and I would get up long before the sun. We would get our parents and grandparents up and gather around the Christmas tree. Before we touched any of our beautiful gifts we would all sing Happy Birthday to the baby Jesus. Looking back that brings tears to my eyes.

I realize that I probably did not think much about the life I was celebrating every Christmas. Christmas always brought warm feelings to my heart and I always knew there was more to it than just presents and food.

Now, Christmas to me is about celebrating the life of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe on Christmas we received the most precious gift from our Father in Heaven. A gift most of us do not fully understand.

The gift of Jesus is much more than opening a package that we are excited about and get to use only a short amount of time. Jesus gave us much, much more in His lifetime. There are three gifts I think of immediately that He has brought to my life: Peace, Joy, and Love.

Peace beyond all understanding. I love that. I do not have to worry about tomorrow because I know I have a Father who loved me enough to send His son, who lived and died for me. I believe that Jesus' birth was a symbol of peace. I imagine that Mary and Joseph were a little worried in the pit of their stomachs that they had no where to stay and Mary was having a baby, but I also imagine they had peace in there hearts because they knew that they were carrying God's son and He would take care of them.

Joy!!! I have joy in my heart, even when I have the worst of all days. I know whom I belong to and I know the Almighty God loves me. Because of the peace I have in my heart, I have Joy. Mary must have felt such Joy swelling inside of her when she held that precious baby for the first time.

God is Love! ! ! When I read the Christmas story I think of the strength of Love that God must have for me. To send His son for me, knowing all along what would happen when He was only 33. Knowing the pain He would suffer and the tears He would shed. I believe that Jesus' love is the only true unconditional love. For us to truly love we must know and understand His GRACE.

GRACE is what Christmas is made of. We received a gift on Christmas that we do not deserve and no matter how many nice deeds we do for others we will never measure up to the perfection of Jesus. That is why we must accept this gift into the depths of our hearts and hold it there forever, showing the Love of Jesus to all the people we know so that they may also accept this most precious gift.

Lee Ann Coffer

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Monday December 26, 2005                                          Epiphany:  For Unto Us A Child Is Born

Have you ever wondered how important it was to really trust God completely? Think about it. Have you ever been in one of those situations where God is asking you to do something that you know you should do, but it just seems that if you do it, everyone else will look down on you because it is not what everyone else thinks is cool or right? Well, I know I have. I have felt God asking me to go His way and would not do it because I was trying so hard to be liked by people at school. This relates to the birth of Jesus Christ.

When Mary was found to be pregnant, Joseph, like any other respectable man, decided to break their engagement quietly, so she would not be publicly disgraced (Matthew 1:19). Joseph did not want to go through with the marriage, because he thought Mary was committing adultery. He thought that he might be looked down upon as well. But, as he was sleeping, an angel sent by God, came to him and told him to go ahead with the marriage. He was told that Mary was to give birth to the Messiah. Joseph trusted God and stayed with Mary. He did what God wanted, and he felt no regrets.

God loves us dearly and would not let anything happen to us that we could not handle. Think about this when you read about the birth of Jesus Christ. God sent His son to die for us. The least we could do is trust Him. Now there is something for you to think about.

“ God, thank You for Your wonderful creation of this earth and the people You placed in it. Thank You for sending your Son to die on the cross for our unforgettable sins. I pray this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Josh Cobb

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Tuesday December 27, 2005                                         Epiphany:  For Unto Us A Child Is Born

"Please, Lord, just help me to keep my mouth shut!"  Knowing that many people have been hurt by my careless words and insensitive remarks, I asked God to "set a guard over my mouth" and even then I have difficulty keeping quiet.  There are times, however, when we should not refrain from speaking.  Consider the words of Isaiah:  "For Zion's sake I will not  keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet."  Isaiah 62:1.  Isaiah prophesied to the people of Jerusalem about the promised Messiah, but he also warned them of God's judgment if they rejected Him.  Of course Isaiah did not win any popularity contests, but he refused to remain silent for the sake of Jerusalem.

Like Isaiah, we also encounter resistance when we witness to people in our own personal Jerusalem.  My oldest sister , Marilyn, died last month and I am not sure she was prepared to meet the Lord Jesus when she left this world.  The reason I don't know is simply because I didn't ask her.  I was not willing to risk stepping out of my comfort zone  and, unlike Isaiah, I remained quiet.  She was the oldest of five girls and I was the youngest.  She was a registered nurse and knew everything there was to know, according to my parents.  She was way up high and I was way down low.  I couldn't dare to invade her privacy to inquire about her spiritual life, could I?  The closest I came to actually witnessing to her was during the last few months of her illness.  After much prayer I wrote to her, reminding her how much God loved her.  Along with the letter, I included some sermons from well known pastors and a few CD's of wonderful, old hymns.  She enjoyed the music but didn't comment on the sermons.  I can only hope she was saved as a young girl when she responded to the invitation at the close of a church service and became a member of that small, Presbyterian congregation near our home.

When I was trying to decide what to write about for this devotional, my first thought was to focus on children.  Then I decided to use this subject as an introduction.  However, the Lord kept pushing in this direction and before I knew it, the devotional was finished. I pray it will help someone to have the courage to tell an unsaved friend or family member about Jesus when we are celebrating with them this season. Remember Isaiah's words and ask yourself, "Who is my Jerusalem and for whose sake will I not remain silent? "

Lord Jesus, help us remember that You came to this earth the first time as a baby, but when You come again You will come as a judge. Give us courage to not keep silent, and to not remain quiet for the sake of those in our own Jerusalem.  Amen

Janice Triplett

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Wednesday December 28, 2005                                    Epiphany:  For Unto Us A Child Is Born

On August 3, 2005 I was able to experience seeing my new baby cousin being born. Gracelyn Christine Dellinger came into the world at 1:15 in the morning. She was 8 pounds and 21 inches long. I really didn’t think I could sit there and watch but I did and it was beautiful.

My aunt gave birth in a birthing tub. Everything was going great, but then we couldn’t get the baby out of the water because the cord was caught around Gracelyn’s neck. We all started praying because we were afraid. The midwife was finally able to get the cord off of her and we got her above the water.

Gracelyn was a little blue but we gave her oxygen and she became pink.  The joy I saw in my aunt and those in the room was awesome.  I was so happy!  I wonder if Mary was ever scared. She gave birth to Jesus in a barn with only her husband and a few animals by her side!  I wonder if it was chilly and damp or maybe hot and humid. It probably didn’t smell very good and they certainly didn’t have the proper medical equipment.  I know she had the same joy we all did when she saw Him.

Lord, I thank You for sending Gracelyn into my life and for sending Jesus into my life also. I love you. Amen.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things, let this be

known  to the entire world.  Isaiah 12:5

Brittany Starr

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Thursday December 29, 2005                                         Epiphany:  For Unto Us A Child Is Born

2 Samuel 23: 13-17b

Christ was born unto us and lived for us.  Then He sacrificed himself for us.  It was the ultimate gift He and His Father could have given us.  And in 2nd Samuel, it talks about three men that sacrificed their lives for David because he asked for some water.  David was the leader of these three men, and these men showed their love and loyalty to David by doing this.  God asks us to follow His word.  He gave us His Son.  As Christ sacrificed His life for us as Christians, we should be willing to give our lives to Him.

God, thank You for giving Your Son as a sacrifice for us.  We are awed by Your generosity and grace.  You provide everything we need.  We offer our hearts, souls and lives to You.  Amen

Wayne Morrison

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Friday December 30, 2005                                           Epiphany:  For Unto Us A Child Is Born

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” That’s all that needs to be said because the rest of the chapter goes on to illustrate how God takes care of us. Unfortunately, we are a people that have a few things wrong about us when it comes to provision.

First, we are under the assumption that we can take care of ourselves. Our culture constantly bombards us with do-it-yourself and self-improvement philosophies and products. In Psalm 23, though, the psalmist says that he will not want because the Lord is his caretaker, not because we can properly attend to ourselves.

Secondly, we also tend to be a people of constant want. What’s worse is that we feel we should get it precisely when we want it. We’ve got to have the newest cell phone with the latest capabilities; we’ve got to wear whatever is currently popular in fashion; we’ve got to see or own the latest movie releases. Can we honestly say that we “shall not want?”

While it is certainly not hard for a Christian to see how contradictory this ideology is to Scripture, we tend to accept and even conform to such lifestyles and ideas rather than make a change in our way of life. We don’t want to lose friends’ or colleagues’ approval or seem different or seem “behind the times.” In Romans 12:2, though, we are warned “...not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”   I think there are many instances in which we could separate our identities from the world, but instead choose not to because they would be difficult or unpopular decisions to make. We are supposed to be a different people, though a people that want only God.

Lord, You are the great shepherd and we ask that You give us a longing for You that can only be filled by You. We ask that the things of this world would grow dim in light of Your glory, Lord, and that we would recognize that You are all we need in this world. Forgive us for trying to do it on our own and for desiring the things of this world rather than You. Remind us again and again that You are our only need in this life. Amen.

Tyson Hankins

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Saturday December 31, 2005                                         Epiphany:  For Unto Us A Child Is Born

Wow!  God is with us.  He is here with us right now.  Its hard to grasp the fact that God, the one true God, sent His Son to die for us.  I wonder what Mary and Joseph thought while they watched Jesus in those first few days.  I know what I thought as I watched Logan his first few days with Laurie and me.  I was scared, flat out terrified, of the responsibility that just landed in my lap.  This little person I was holding in my arms is depending on Laurie and me for everything; he can’t take care of himself at all.  I don’t think I have ever been so happy and scared at the same time.  I wonder if Joseph and Mary felt some of that. 

I have no idea who Logan will be when he grows up or who he will impact throughout his life.  We know who Jesus turned out to be though.  He is the Savior of the world.  He is my Savior.  Hopefully He is your Savior as well.  The sad truth is that we often act like we don’t know who He is or what He has asked of us.  James 4:13-17 says:

¹³ Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get grain"; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that." ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

We like to plan our own lives out: what we will do, where we will go and all the details that go along with that.  What we fail to understand is that God is the one we should let plan our lives.  He knows what’s best for us and when we need the things He has in store for us.  As a new year starts tomorrow, I would like for each of us to look toward this year as the year that we give God all we are and all we have.  As verse 17 says, if we know what is right and we don’t do it, then we are sinning.  Let’s give this year to the Lord and see what happens!

Shane  Pike     

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