Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 61

Friday after Advent 3

Malachi 3:1-3

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.

Jesus is coming, but who can endure the day of His coming? He purifies and cleanses those who seek Him—purifies with fire hot enough to remove the impurities and cleans with strong soap that burns and irritates. The process of God purifying and cleansing us isn’t easy and fun, but it is so worthwhile. I want to be pure and clean before the Lord and will endure the heat and irritation.

Lord, I want to endure the day of Your coming. I want to be purify and clean before You. Refine me like silver and gold, and make me righteous. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/elvinstar

Thursday after Advent 3

Ezekiel 34:11-12

For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.

If we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are God’s sheep. He will seek us out and gather us together and care for us. Imagine! The Creator of the Universe cares for us as a shepherd cares for his flock—leading us to lush green grass and fresh flowing water, pulling us back from danger, healing our hurts. We don’t have to worry because He meets our every need.

Thank You, Lord, for caring for us as Your beloved sheep. Though we often astray, You lead us back to the fold. Give us hearts that love You above all else and want nothing more than to do Your will. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

Wednesday after Advent 3

Isaiah 52:7

How lovely on the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who announces peace

And brings good news of happiness,

Who announces salvation,

And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

The Gospel is good news! We can have peace by putting our faith in the Lord. We can be happy knowing we are saved and that our God reigns. Those who bring us the good news of the Gospel bless us. Thank God for ministers and priests, for evangelists and Bible teachers, for Christians who share the Gospel with others. May we be among those who bring the good news of Jesus to those around us.

Thank You, Lord, for those who bring good news—Old Testament prophets who foretold Jesus centuries before He came to earth; John the Baptist who prepared the way of the Lord; Jesus Christ Himself who gave us the good news through His life, death, and resurrection; the apostles and Church Fathers; ministers and missionaries; and everyone who tells others about You. Give us hearts for evangelism and the courage and words to share Your Gospel. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/stocksnapper

Tuesday after Advent 3

Psalm 110:4

The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind,

“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Melchizedek was not part of the Aaronic priesthood; he did not come from a genealogical line of priest. There is no record of the beginning or end of his priesthood. Jesus is our High Priest forever. He has no beginning and no end. He is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega.

Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus as our High Priest. Unlike human priests, He doesn’t make temporary atonement for our sins through sacrifices. He makes eternal atonement through the sacrifice of Himself, paying the penalty for our sin. Without Him, Lord, we would be lost. We praise You and bless You for saving us. In His name. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/MKucova

Monday after Advent 3

1 Chronicles 17:13-14

I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.

Jesus is the Son of God, and He is settled in God’s house—on the right hand of God, the Father. At the appointed time, He will come to rule the world forever and ever. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Those who made their confession before His Coming will rule with Him in the new Jerusalem. Those who rejected Him will come to recognize His Lordship, but they will know it from a distance, in torment in the lake of fire. We can’t put off the decision for Christ; we do not know the hour or the day of Jesus’ return, so we must be ready now.

Thank You, Lord, that where we spend eternity doesn’t depend on whim or chance, but upon our deliberate decision. I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and I endeavor to walk in His way. Forgive me when I fall short and clothe me in His righteousness so that I spend eternity with You. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/lipmic

The Third Sunday in Advent

Ezekiel 34:20-23

Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.”

God will judge between one sheep and another, and He will deliver His flock. God’s flock is the flock we want to be in—the flock that will have as its shepherd Jesus, the Son of David. Which flock we end up in at the end of time is determined by what we believe and do at this time, in this life. I choose to believe in Jesus; I choose to follow God’s law; I choose to be in God’s flock.

Father God, thank You that You don’t separate sheep on the basis of partiality or randomness, but You separate the sheep based upon the choices they make. We can know we will be in Your flock if we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Lord, Jesus is my Lord. Keep me safe in Your flock. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Saturday after Advent 2

Psalm 45:6

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;

A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

We get so involved in our busy-ness here on earth that we don’t pay enough attention to what happens after this life. We consider our own temporary lives and forget that God is eternal. He sits on His throne ruling the universe from time immortal through forever. And throughout eternity, he rules with righteousness. He is fair and just, yet merciful. His ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours that we cannot even imagine righteousness. We think we’re being righteous when we’re not doing something bad. We may compare ourselves to other people and think we’re righteous because we don’t steal like our neighbor or commit adultery like the woman down the street or murder like the guy we just saw arrested on television. Yet all unrighteousness is equally wrong by God’s standards. Those little white lies we think aren’t so bad, those feelings of resentment we think are normal, those selfish thoughts we think everyone has—those are all equally evil in God’s sight. Imagine—our righteous God rules forever and ever and ever.

Forgive us, Lord, for our unrighteousness. Thank You that Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins so we can reign with You forever. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/kevron

Friday after Advent 2

Mark 14:62

And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Many people think of Advent as a time to prepare for Christmas, and it is that. However, it is also a time of preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus, that great day in which He will return in power and glory and majesty to make the kingdom of this world the Kingdom of our God! Jesus is sitting on right hand of God the Father, but at the appointed time (which no one knows), He will descend from heaven and return as King of kings and Lord of lords. He himself told us in this verse that He will come with the clouds of heaven from the right hand of Power (God the Father). At that time, He will judge us and everyone will go into their eternal home—either in the new Jerusalem with the Triune God or in the lake of fire. What we do on earth will determine where we end up in eternity. I plan to be with the Lord!

Thank You, Lord, that we can make a decision here on earth that will determine how we spent eternity. I choose You, Lord. I want You as the Lord and ruler of my life. I want to do Your will, and I need Your forgiveness and mercy when I invariably fall short. Thank You that I will be judged righteous by the Blood of Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.

Thursday after Advent 2

Psalm 66:1-7

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;

Sing the glory of His name;

Make His praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!

Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.

“All the earth will worship You,

And will sing praises to You;

They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah.

Come and see the works of God,

Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.

He turned the sea into dry land;

They passed through the river on foot;

There let us rejoice in Him!

He rules by His might forever;

His eyes keep watch on the nations;

Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

Too often I spend my prayer time in supplication and intercession rather than in praise and worship. God wants us to make our requests known to Him, but He also wants—and deserves—our worship. We should remember His mighty deeds, not only the miracles reported in Scripture but also the blessings He gives us every day of our lives. When we think about everything He has done for us, we must give him praise and glory.

Glory to You, O Lord! You are King of kings and Lord of lords. You created everything—from the dust of the ground to the stars in the sky, from the tiniest insect to the largest animal. You made us higher than everything on earth, a little below the angels. We rejoice in Your majesty and power and dominion. Most of all, we thank You for creating us to be in relationship with You. Thank You! We glorify You and praise You forever and ever. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/ingridhs

Wednesday after Advent 2

Psalm 105:1-6

Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

Remember His wonders which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,

O seed of Abraham, His servant,

O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!

During this season of Advent, we’re preparing of the coming of the Lord—the great day when Jesus will return to take His followers to Heaven to rule with Him forever. But today we are to give thanks to God, praise Him, tell others about Him, and seek Him always.

Thank You, Lord, for creating us, caring for us, giving us a world filled with things we use for food, shelter, clothing, and comforts. Most of all, thank You for loving us enough to send Your Son Jesus Christ to give His life in payment for our sins and for promising eternity with You in glory to all who love You and do Your will. Guide us in Your will and lead us to our eternal home. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/piotor_marcinski