Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 76

Devotion for Friday after Advent 3

Luke 1:5-25 (NASB)

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. 8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” 21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

Most of us would probably be as doubtful as Zacharias was if we received similar news from an angel. According to the laws of nature, Elizabeth was past child-bearing years. But the God who created the laws of nature can override them at will. He is in complete control of everything that happens—He either allows it or ordains it.

Heavenly Father, open our hearts and minds to hear Your voice and believe Your Word. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Devotion for Thursday after Advent 3

Malachi 3:1 (NASB)

“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.

God made a promise; He fulfilled His promise although it took hundreds of years. His timing is not our timing, and what seems like a long time to us is miniscule to an almighty and eternal Lord. God will keep Him promises relating to the return of Jesus, the Day of Judgment, and the end of time. We don’t know the time, so we need to be ready all the time.

We trust You, Lord, and know that You always fulfill Your promises. Our finite minds have a hard time understanding Your infinite plan, but we know it is good. We look forward to spending forever with You in the new earth. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Devotion for Wednesday after Advent 3

Genesis 3:15 (NASB)

And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.

The Serpent, Satan himself, has been the enemy of mankind since God pronounced this curse after the Fall. He bruises our heel over and over again, but a bruise on the heel is just that—a bruise. A bruise on the head destroys. Because of humanity’s sin, God has allowed Satan to bruise us for millennia, but the day is coming when God Himself will bruise Satan on the head with a fatal blow. God has promised it, and God always fulfills His promises in His perfect timing. We deserve the fatal blow on the head, but our Lord has promised to save us. Through His unmerited grace, we will live with Him in Heaven forever and ever long after Satan has been destroyed. Maranatha, Lord Jesus!

Almighty God, sometimes it seems like Satan is winning. He beats us up over and over again, but we know that the ultimate victory is Yours and that any victory Satan has is temporary and possible only because You allow it. We look forward to Jesus’ return, when You will destroy Satan forever. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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Devotion for Tuesday after Advent 3

Micah 5:2 (NASB)

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago,

From the days of eternity.

From the beginning, God planned for Jesus to be born in the insignificant little village of Bethlehem. God knew that man would not use his freedom wisely but instead would rebel against his Creator, fall into sin, and need redemption. He planned that redemption in the person of Jesus Christ “from the days of eternity,” and when the time was right, God carried out His plan, His promise of salvation. He used what was tiny and unimportant in the eyes of the world to accomplish His great purpose. He always carries out His plan and fulfills His promises—Jesus will come again at a time we don’t expect. God uses what is small and unvalued in the world—Bethlehem, you, and me—to accomplish His purposes. We are called to be ready for Jesus’ return and to tell others about Jesus.

Lord, we are small and insignificant in the eyes of the world, but to You we are of ultimate worth and value. Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to live and die on earth for our salvation and that He will come again to take us to Heaven. Ready us, merciful Lord, for that great day. In His name. Amen.

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Devotion for Monday after Advent 3

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Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NASB)

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;

And He will reign as king and act wisely

And do justice and righteousness in the land.

6 “In His days Judah will be saved,

And Israel will dwell securely;

And this is His name by which He will be called,

‘The Lord our righteousness.’

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, at a time when the Jews were in captivity because of their disobedience to God, the Lord promised a Savior—the Lord our righteousness. In His perfect timing, God sent that Savior in the form of the baby Jesus. In His ministry, Jesus promised that He would come again to judge the world. Those who love Him will spend eternity with Him, while those who refused to accept Him as Lord will be sent to eternal punishment. Just as the Jews waited hundreds of years for the promised Messiah, we wait patiently for the Lord our righteousness. Just as the prophets and the people didn’t know when the Messiah would arrive, we don’t know when Jesus will return. But just as the prophecies of Jesus were fulfilled, we know the promises of the Second Coming will be fulfilled. Let us examine our hearts and make ourselves ready.

Heavenly Father, we know Your promises are always fulfilled—not on our schedules but in Your perfect timing. Make us ready for that great day. Maranatha, Lord Jesus! Amen.

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Devotion for the Third Sunday in Advent

Luke 2:8-20 (NASB)

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 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; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

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

15 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.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Jesus was born to a poor carpenter and his wife in a stable, a humble beginning. His birth was announced by angels with all the glory of Heaven…not to kings or priests or the elite, but to shepherds in the fields. Poor, humble, probably dirty and smelly men caring for dirty and smelly animals. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords humbled Himself for His first arrival on earth, but when He comes again at the end of time, He will come with majesty and all the glory of the Godhead. Yet He will appear to the poor and humble—the modern equivalents of shepherds—and will save all who love Him and accept Him as their Savior, no matter how humble and simple they may be.

Thank You, Lord, that when You come in glory at the end of time, You will come for all who claim You as Lord and Savior, regardless of how insignificant they may be in the eyes of the world. Cleanse our hearts and guide our actions so that we are ready for that glorious day. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Devotion for Saturday after Advent 2

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NASB)

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

The day will come will Jesus will comfort those who mourn and give them the oil of gladness in place of their mourning. We mourn in this life and sometimes wonder if God cares about our suffering, but He has promised a glorious future. Whatever we are going through today is temporary and temporal; let us keep our eyes on the eternal and ethereal.

Lord God, help us always to remember that no matter how deep our mourning or how painful our suffering today, You will free us from pain and sorrow. If we prepare ourselves to spend eternity with You, we will never feel pain or sorrow again. Thank You for the glorious future promised to us; make us ready. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Devotion for Friday after Advent 2

Isaiah 53:1-12 (NASB)

1 Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

And like a root out of parched ground;

He has no stately form or majesty

That we should look upon Him,

Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

3 He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10 But the Lord was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

Thousands of years before the birth of Christ, God was telling His people that He would send a Savior to take their sins upon Himself, to pour Himself out in death for our sakes. At this time of Advent, we look at ourselves and see our own sin, the iniquities that cost Jesus His life. We repent of our transgressions and we thank the Lord for salvation through the Blood of Christ.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for sending Your Son as a tiny babe to live among us, but even more for giving us Your Son as a Savior to take our sins upon Himself and die in our place. As we look ahead with joy to celebrate the birth of Christ and anticipate His Second Coming, let us never forget His sacrifice. In His holy name. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/yanlev

Devotion for Thursday after Advent 2

Isaiah 49:1-7 (NASB)

1 Listen to Me, O islands,

And pay attention, you peoples from afar.

The Lord called Me from the womb;

From the body of My mother He named Me.

2 He has made My mouth like a sharp sword,

In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;

And He has also made Me a select arrow,

He has hidden Me in His quiver.

3 He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel,

In Whom I will show My glory.”

4 But I said, “I have toiled in vain,

I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;

Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord,

And My reward with My God.”

5 And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,

To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him

(For I am honored in the sight of the Lord,

And My God is My strength),

6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also make You a light of the nations

So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,

To the despised One,

To the One abhorred by the nation,

To the Servant of rulers,

“Kings will see and arise,

Princes will also bow down,

Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

Many of us look down on servants. We give honor to those who are served but think little of those who serve. Yet thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, through Isaiah’s prophecy, God told His people that the world would bow down to His Servant, who had been despised and abhorred. Just as the prophecies of the Messiah came true in Jesus, we can trust that prophecies of His Second Coming will also be fulfilled. Jesus will come again to judge the people of the world, living and dead. May we be ready to be counted among His sheep.

Lord God, we know that Jesus is coming again at a time we don’t know. We want to be ready as one of His sheep. Show us what we need to do in our hearts and lives to be ready for the Day of Jesus’ return. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Devotion for Wednesday after Advent 2

Isaiah 42:1-4 (NASB)

1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;

My chosen one in whom My soul delights.

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the nations.

2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice,

Nor make His voice heard in the street.

3 “A bruised reed He will not break

And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;

He will faithfully bring forth justice.

4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed

Until He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

Every day we see injustice—in the media, in the world around us, in our own lives. We seek justice—sometimes through appeals to law or other people. While we see instances of justice prevailing, all too often, the wronged don’t get the justice they deserve. As long as we are in sinful world, we won’t see justice for all. But the Day is coming when God’s Chosen One will establish justice in the earth. During Advent we look and prepare for the coming Day of the Lord. Let us ask God to cleanse our hearts and make it ready for that great day.

Heavenly Father, the injustice that surrounds us saddens us. We can try to bring justice to those who are wronged, but we know that any victories will have will be isolated cases. Justice will not prevail on earth until Jesus comes again. Cleanse our hearts and minds to make us ready for the Second Coming of Our Lord. In His holy name. Amen.

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