Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 33

Devotion for the Third Day of Christmas

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1 John 1:5-9

Jesus came at Christmas, but He came to die. He would
grow up and begin His ministry, and after only three years, He would give His
life for us on the cross. He came because we are sinners, and He is faithful to
forgive our sins and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. That tiny baby born in
a stable is the King of all Creation and our Redeemer.

Lord, I am a sinner, utterly dependent on the sacrifice of Jesus for my redemption. Thank You that He came to earth at Christmas, and thank You, thank You, thank You that He died and rose again to give me eternal life. I confess my many sins and transgressions and look for forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/klanneke

Devotion for the Second Day of Christmas

In the same region there were some shepherds
staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by
night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and
the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly
frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I
bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for
today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who
is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for
you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And
suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. ~ Luke 2:8-20

God could have chosen anyone to notify of Jesus’ birth with an angelic choir. But He didn’t choose kings or religious leaders or rich people. Instead, He chose the lowliest of people in Judea—the men who lived out of doors caring for sheep, often considered the dirtiest, smelliest, and stupidest of animals. Jesus was born and died for those same lowly shepherds—and for us, no matter who we are.

Thank You, Lord God, that Jesus came to the lowliest and poorest among us—that He came for the most sinful. He came for those of us who need a Savior. Everyone needs a Savior, but not everyone is humble enough to recognize and admit. I know I am a sinner. I know I am totally helpless on my own. I recognize my need for a Savior, and I thank You for sending Jesus to save me. In His name, I pray. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/zatletic

Devotion for Christmas Day

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2:1-7

The Christmas story is so familiar that we must be careful not to take it for granted. Really think about it—Jesus was born in a stable! Not a modern barn with electric lights and protection from the elements and comfortable individual stalls for pampered animals. No, the stable of Jesus’ birth was more likely a cave or a very crude structure with little protection from the cold and wind. It was dark and smelly and possibly crowded with dirty animals. Instead of a beautiful crib in a newly painted and decorated nursery, Jesus was laid in a rough container for animal feed. The Creator of the Universe, the king of kings, God of gods, Lord of lords gave up His glory and power in Heaven to become a tiny baby in the roughest and crudest circumstances imaginable. He did it for us—to save us from our sins!

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth to save me from my sins. Impress me to the magnitude of Your sacrifice and Your love. Give me a grateful heart and unwavering trust. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/Klanneke

Merry Christmas!

May the Light that came into the world at Christmas illuminate your life.

May the Love that came down at Christmas embrace you.

May the joy the angels sang be yours.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/AntonMatuyukha

Devotion for Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018

Now the birth of Jesus
Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with
child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man
and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her
quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to
take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name
Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took
place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. ~ Matthew 1:18-25

Mary’s faith was amazing—when the angel told her she, a young virgin, would become pregnant, she didn’t look upon all the problems. She accepted the Lord’s will without hesitation—and so did Joseph. When he learned that Mary was pregnant, knowing that he wasn’t the father, he was going to divorce her quietly when he could have had her stoned. But when the angel appeared to him in a dream, Joseph believed the angel and followed the instructions to take Mary as his wife. He willingly took on the responsibility for a child that wasn’t his, and he accepted whatever repercussions happened for his betrothed becoming pregnant before their marriage. Both Mary and Joseph showed incredible faith.

Father God, thank You for the examples of Mary and Joseph, who each took on responsibilities and situations that were not of their choosing but were Your will. Give me the faith and the courage to take on whatever responsibilities and situations You have for me with the same faithfulness. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Devotion for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

I had read and heard this passage many times before I realized the significance of the words “You are the light of the world.” In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” If we follow Jesus, He shares His Light with us for us to share with others. Sinner that I am, I reflect the Light of the World—Jesus Himself. Of course, my light will be always be a pale pinprick compared to the glorious Light of Jesus, but how amazing to be able to reflect a little of His Light to a dark, dark world.

Lord God, thank You that I and all Your followers are the light of the world, reflecting our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the true Light of the World. Let my light shine ever brighter as I grow closer to You and more like Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.

Devotion for Saturday in the Third Week in Advent

He put another parable before them,
saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed
good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came
and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up
and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the
master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in
your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has
done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather
them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat
along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest
time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in
bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” …

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. ~ Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Jesus will come again to judge the world, and His angels will gather from His Kingdom all those “bad seeds” that the enemy has sown in God’s Kingdom. Just belonging to a church and calling ourselves “Christian” will not keep us from being gathered by the angels and thrown into the fiery furnace. Only those who truly love Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior will be saved. That means we must really believe what He says. Today, there are far too many people in churches who call good evil and evil good, who claim that because God is love, everyone will go to Heaven. Jesus Himself told us that is not the case. Being in a church and claiming to be Christian doesn’t save us—only faith in Jesus Christ will do that.

Father God, thank You for sending Jesus into the world to save sinners. Open the eyes of anyone who is deluded and just going through the motions. Search my heart, Lord, and ensure that my faith is pure and true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/MKucova

Devotion for Friday in the Third Week in Advent

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you. ~ Psalm 139:7-12

If we had an earth-shaking announcement to make, most of us would make it in the bright midday or in a room lit by lots of artificial light. But when God announced the birth of Jesus, He did it at night. The dark sky lit up like day, and the shepherds saw and heard the heavenly choir that told them the Savior had been born.

Lord God, I see night as dark and sometimes scary. Yet to You, night is as bright as day. You lit up the sky on the night of Jesus’s birth so it was as bright as day to the shepherds. Lighten my darkness—not only the darkness of the night, but more importantly, the darkness of sin, doubt, and fear. Let me see Your love clearly. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/4masik

Devotion for Thursday in the Third Week in Advent

But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?'” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ~ Romans 10:6-17

Jesus saves everyone who believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth. If we’re blessed to have been raised in a Christian home, we may take it for granted. However, there are many people around the world and right in our own neighborhoods that don’t know the Lord. They can’t come to faith unless they hear the word of Christ. Today Jesus is appearing in dreams and visions—a large percentage of Muslims who come to faith in Christ do so because of a dream or vision. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have an obligation to spread the Word—to those close to us and those far away. We may not be called to be missionaries, but we are called to share Jesus with those we come in contact with. We are called to support missionaries who go into places we don’t go.

Lord God, give me the wisdom to know what to say to unbelievers and the courage to say it. Give me a desire to pray for and support ministries who spread Your Word—here in my own community and around the world. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/ VadimVasenin

Devotion for Wednesday in the Third Week in Advent

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” ~ Mark 16:15-16

We look forward to Jesus coming again, but we need to recognize that we have a job to do in the meantime. Jesus Himself told us to “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.” Elsewhere in Scripture, we read that before Jesus returns, God is allowing time for everyone to be saved. But to be saved, they must know the Gospel. And those who don’t know the Gospel are dependent on those of us who know about Jesus to tell them. We don’t personally have to go “into all the world.” We can proclaim the Gospel much closer to home—to unsaved family members and neighbors. And we can support those who do go out into the far corners of the world as missionaries with our prayers and financial support.

Lord, give me a passion for the unsaved. Empower me to share the Gospel with anyone I encounter who doesn’t know You, and motivate me to pray for and financially support the people who share Your Gospel with the unreached. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/justinkendra