Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 91

Devotion for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

Isaiah 7:10-16 (NASB)

10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

 

God told His people that Jesus would be born to a virgin—the prophesy was made hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. God knew His children would take advantage of the free will He gave them to sin and become separated from Him. He had a plan for salvation before He even made Adam and Eve.

 

Lord, You are almighty and all powerful, but You are also merciful. So merciful, in fact, that You sent Your own Son to be born as a babe, live as a man, and die for our sins. Thank You, Lord. Help me to realize the length and width and depth of Your love. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

 

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Devotion for Saturday after Advent 3

Malachi 3:16-18 (NASB)

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. 17 “They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

 

God has written in His book of remembrance the names of those who serve him and honor His name. When Jesus comes again, He will save those whose names are in the book. Are ours names written there? Let us examine our hearts and ensure we will be among the saved on that great day of Jesus’s return.

Lord, if our names are not written in Your book of remembrance, show us what we must do. We love You and worship You and want to be with You in eternity. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

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Devotion for Friday after Advent 3

Matthew 25:1-13 (NASB)

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

 

In this parable of the ten virgins, Jesus reminds us that we do not know the day or the hour of His coming. Like the wise virgins, we need to be ready so we aren’t left behind when Jesus comes again. To get ready, we need to examine our hearts and ask Jesus to cleanse us and wash away our sins. We must not live as the world lives, but live as holy people—set aside for God’s purposes.

 

Holy God, cleanse our hearts, wash away our sins, and guide us by the Holy Spirit to live for You and not the world. Help us to be ready when Jesus returns, whether it is tonight or far into the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

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Devotion for Thursday after Advent 3

Isaiah 33:13-22 (NASB)

13 “You who are far away, hear what I have done;

And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

14 Sinners in Zion are terrified;

Trembling has seized the godless.

“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?

Who among us can live with continual burning?”

15 He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,

He who rejects unjust gain

And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;

He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed

And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;

16 He will dwell on the heights,

His refuge will be the impregnable rock;

His bread will be given him,

His water will be sure.

17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;

They will behold a far-distant land.

18 Your heart will meditate on terror:

“Where is he who counts?

Where is he who weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”

19 You will no longer see a fierce people,

A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,

Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;

Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation,

A tent which will not be folded;

Its stakes will never be pulled up,

Nor any of its cords be torn apart.

21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us

A place of rivers and wide canals

On which no boat with oars will go,

And on which no mighty ship will pass—

22 For the Lord is our judge,

The Lord is our lawgiver,

The Lord is our king;

He will save us.

 

God’s judgment is a consuming fire; it strikes terror in the hearts of sinners. But to those who love the Lord and are redeemed by His Son Jesus will be saved. Jesus has taken the judgment for us. All we have to do is to accept Him as our Lord, accept His gift of grace and forgiveness, and He will save us.

 

Lord, thank You for Your salvation. Let us live our lives in thanksgiving to You. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, now and forever. Amen.

Devotion for Wednesday after Advent 3

Isaiah 28:16-19 (NASB)

16 Therefore thus says the Lord God,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,

A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.

He who believes in it will not be disturbed.

17 “I will make justice the measuring line

And righteousness the level;

Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies

And the waters will overflow the secret place.

18 “Your covenant with death will be canceled,

And your pact with Sheol will not stand;

When the overwhelming scourge passes through,

Then you become its trampling place.

19 “As often as it passes through, it will seize you;

For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,

And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”

 

God sent His prophet Isaiah to tell God’s people that He was going to lay a cornerstone to make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Those who believe in the cornerstone (God’s own Son, Jesus Christ) will be saved. Those who do not believe, however, will be washed away, scourged, trampled. We don’t have to be righteous in our own strength; we will be saved by the righteousness of the firmly placed, foundational cornerstone.

 

Thank You, Lord, for saving us by grace and mercy—not with our own righteousness but the righteousness of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. We believe, Lord, and ask You to wash away our sins and save us from the terror that comes from unbelief. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

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Devotion for Tuesday after Advent 3

James 5:7-10 (NASB)

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

 

We get impatient, especially in our fast-paced society that offers instant gratification with constant communication with cell phones and text messaging, drive-through windows for fast food, and immediate access to books and games and movies on electronic devices. But farmers learn to wait patiently—they don’t expect to harvest a crop the day after they plant the seed. Scripture tells us to be patient as we wait for the coming of the Lord. But in addition to being patient, James tells us to strengthen our hearts and to quit complaining. While we patiently wait, we must also be preparing ourselves so that we are ready to face His judgment when Jesus comes again.

 

Alm ighty God, we know Jesus is coming again even though we don’t know when. Purify us, strengthen us, forgive our sins as we repent, and prepare us for the return of Jesus. In His name. Amen.

 

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Devotion for Monday after Advent 3

Isaiah 40:3-8 (NASB)

3 A voice is calling,

“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;

Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

4 “Let every valley be lifted up,

And every mountain and hill be made low;

And let the rough ground become a plain,

And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

And all flesh will see it together;

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Call out.”

Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”

All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades,

When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;

Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.

 

We may not like to think of ourselves as withering grass and fading flowers, but in God’s timing, our earthly existence is just as brief. However, God’s Word is eternal. His promises are always fulfilled; His mercies are new every morning. He has promised Jesus will come again, and if He says it will happen, it will happen. We need to be ready, with His way cleared in the wilderness of our hearts, ready for His return.

 

Lord, Your Word is eternal and eternally and absolutely true. You have promised that Jesus will come in glory, and we await that glorious day. Cleanse our hearts and make a smooth way for Him. In His Name we pray. Amen.

 

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Devotion for the Third Sunday in Advent

Isaiah 35:3-10 (NASB)

3 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.

4 Say to those with anxious heart,

“Take courage, fear not.

Behold, your God will come with vengeance;

The recompense of God will come,

But He will save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened

And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

For waters will break forth in the wilderness

And streams in the Arabah.

7 The scorched land will become a pool

And the thirsty ground springs of water;

In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,

Grass becomes reeds and rushes.

8 A highway will be there, a roadway,

And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean will not travel on it,

But it will be for him who walks that way,

And fools will not wander on it.

9 No lion will be there,

Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;

These will not be found there.

But the redeemed will walk there,

10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return

And come with joyful shouting to Zion,

With everlasting joy upon their heads.

They will find gladness and joy,

And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

 

Sometimes we look around us at the state of our nation and of our world and we become discouraged. The world calls evil good and good evil. Sin abounds, and we know it has for centuries. Maybe we wonder when Jesus is finally coming. This Scripture exhorts us to encourage one another. Jesus is coming again. We will be redeemed to walk the Highway of Holiness. Let us lift up the weak and discouraged and remind them that our Savior is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His Word is sacred. He said He is coming again, and He is. It may tomorrow; it may be next year; it may be centuries from now. But He will come on His timetable for those who love Him and accept Him as their Lord to dwell in an eternity of everlasting joy.

Lord, help us see when our sisters and brothers are discouraged and weak. Give us the faith and strength to lift them up so in Your perfect timing we come to walk the Highway of Holiness with our fellow believers. In the name of Jesus, our Lord, who will come again. Amen.

Devotion for Saturday after Advent 2

Malachi 3:1-3 (NASB)

1 “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. 2 “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. 3 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.

 

Refining precious metals requires an extremely hot fire. The refiner sits beside the fire and watches the process very closely. When he sees the reflection of his face, he knows the silver or gold is purified. That is what the Lord does to us. He refines us in the heat of the trials and problems we encounters in our lives and watches for His face—the beautiful face of Jesus—in us. On the day of His coming, He will purify us so we can offer our righteousness and worship to Him throughout eternity.

 

Lord, sometimes it’s hard to go through the trials You send us, but we thank You that through those very trials You are refining us. You are purifying us and making us more like You. We want You to see Yourself in us. Continue to refine and purify us. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

 

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Devotion for Friday after Advent 2

Hosea 10:12 (NASB)

12 Sow with a view to righteousness,

Reap in accordance with kindness;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the Lord

Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

 

These words were directed by the Old Testament prophet Hosea to God’s people who had strayed far from His ways, yet they express so well what we should be doing during Advent. It is time for us to seek the Lord—whether for the first time or for a renewed relationship with Him. We must break up the untilled ground of our heart; unless the ground of a field is tilled, it cannot grow a crop, and unless the ground of our hearts is tilled, it cannot grow a crop of righteousness planted by the Master Gardener, Jesus Christ, who Himself paid for our sin on the cross and who alone can make us righteous by imparting His righteousness to us.

Lord, plow the ground of my heart. Root out all evil—hatred, selfishness, idolatry, the lusts of the flesh—and plant the righteousness of Jesus in the tilled soil. We ask this in the name of He who will come again with glory. Amen.Image: © Depositphotos.com/moc.ngiseddleiftah@...