Emmanuel – God is with us!
God, in His mercy, didn’t leave us to ourselves to figure out how to get to Him. He came to us. And He is still with us. The Scriptures and topics for each week’s themes will highlight the significance of God’s constant presence.
May this guide be a source of daily encouragement for you.
Download the full PDF or pick up a hard copy in Next Steps on Sunday.
Want to listen?
Audio readings of each day’s devotion is available on Spotify beginning Nov. 30: https://open.spotify.com/show/6XTuChj1QRqN0XGeJn0F2z
Week 1: Hope
The hope we have in Jesus is a gift to show that God is with us. In this first week of Advent, we begin by looking intently at the hope that has been given to us because Messiah has come. Advent is a season of longing. We still wait for Christ to bring the fulfillment of His Kingdom when we receive our inheritance. We still wait…but not without hope. What do you hope to encounter this Advent season?
By Kristi
Scripture
Observation
Ines grew up in a country where over 99% of the population were Muslim. From a young age, she was taught that God was distant and unknowable, always testing her to see if she could endure life’s struggles. When hardship came, she was told to say, “Alhamdulillah” (Praise be to God) and accept that everything was as God had predestined.
As an adult, life felt unbearable. Her marriage was crumbling apart, and she found herself becoming so angry that she would lash out at her children. In those dark moments, she felt utterly alone. One day in sheer frustration, she cried out to God, “Save me! Save me!” She had never spoken these words before, yet instinctively knew she needed rescue.
The next day, Ines came across a Christian TV program. She called the number on the screen. They sent a woman to come meet her in a coffee shop and give her a Bible. As the woman shared about Jesus—His miraculous birth, His compassionate ministry, His suffering, and His triumphant resurrection—Ines began to see that God understood her pain. He had come to save her from her sins. He wasn’t waiting from a distance to see if she could survive. He was healing her, strengthening her, giving her hope, and walking with her through trials.
She had always been told that Jesus the Messiah was for Christians in the West. But now Ines is learning the truth: the Messiah has come for all people. She has hope because God is with her!
Jesus asks us to make a choice: either to live by the facts or to see by faith. When tragedy strikes, we are left to choose what we see. We can see either the hurt or the Healer. The choice is ours…so, put your trust in the Shepherd. He knows the path that leads to your new beginning, and He’s just waiting for you to join Him on your new journey in patient hope.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
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By Walt Wilcoxson
Scripture
Observation
His hands didn’t always have scars. There was a time, as a newborn baby, Jesus must have wiggled fingers on scarless hands in front of his face, just as every other baby does. But some 33 years later, the scars of the cross rang out hope as loudly as any church bell. You see, Thomas thrust his hand into a scar! And, to have a scar from a wound that killed you, you have to be alive! Scars don’t heal in a dead person.
It is through the Resurrection of Jesus that we, as believers, are born into a living hope, just as certainly as Jesus was born into the world and was raised from the dead. The hope we have found in Jesus is a hope that is certain. Our hope for salvation is not the same as someone saying, “I hope my plane is not delayed.” This kind of hope has a measure of doubt and uncertainty. Our hope in the Lord does not.
The reason for this certainty is that through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are being guarded by God’s power, not ours. And God never fails. The inheritance that God has prepared for us will never perish, be corrupted, or fade away. Why? Because the all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present God of the universe is guarding it. The faithful God, who sent His Son Jesus to save you, will be faithful to deliver all that He has promised to you. Now and throughout eternity.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Cheryl Kepes
Scripture
Observation
From time to time, I fondly reflect on the months leading up to the birth of both of my daughters. Each time, I imagined for hours what they would look like. I longed to hold them. Dreamed of reading to them. Envisioned them growing up through the years.
Much like Paul’s encouragement in Romans 8:25, I hoped for what I did not see. However, unlike the second half of that verse, I did not eagerly wait for it with patience. Though I anticipated my daughters’ births with joy, there were labor pains along the way and patience for their arrival was scarce at best.
Centuries of God’s people hoped for the Messiah to be born. For generations, they yearned for the coming of a Savior. They had not seen Jesus, yet they eagerly anticipated His birth. When the Messiah they had hoped, prayed, and longed for was born, imagine how it must have felt for the people who saw Jesus, held Him as a baby, or followed Him as a man. Their hope was realized. God was with them.
God is with us too. Though we have not seen Jesus, it is by grace through faith in Him that we are saved. The assurance of our salvation gives us hope to wait with patience for what is to come – our full redemption and eternity in heaven worshipping Him.
This Christmas season, may we rest in our hope in Jesus.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Nicole Berger
Scripture
Observation
We Christians are blessed with God’s forgiveness, a gift beyond measure. Because of that gift, we have hope that we will live with all joy and praise forever with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no greater hope than this, and we’ve been blessed to bear it.
As hope bearers, we are called to godliness – to hold ourselves to the character of God. This is no easy feat. We must train for it, like runners for a marathon.
Godliness isn’t easy. After all, while on earth, we must contend with our flesh – the part of us that wants to rebel against God. However, God hasn’t abandoned us. He nailed our flesh to the cross, so it has no victory over us. What’s more, He gave us tools and support to help us run the path of godliness.
One of these tools is the Bible. It’s divinely inspired and used for teaching, correction, and training. This is our guidebook and where we go for truth.
God has also given us the Holy Spirit. He helps us in our weakness, and He reminds us of God’s great love for us.
Last but not least, He gives us Himself. We can directly communicate with God through prayer, whether it be praise, questions, or petitions for His intervention. We know that He listens, He cares, and He answers. We are bearers of a hope that calls us to the pursuit of godliness. Are you training for that goal?
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Wyatt King
Scripture
Observation
Every Christmas season somehow ends up being busier than I think it’s going to be. If you’re anything like me, amidst the postcards, the presents, and the parties, there’s one thing you find yourself desiring, yet lacking: rest. My advice? Maybe find time for a nap, protect your schedule from being overcrowded, and look forward to that time off you (might) have!
The advice King David speaks to himself in Psalm 62, however, is much different. He says, “Find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.”
David’s rest is found in the hope that comes from God, which doesn’t just look forward to the next nap or a few days off from work, but looks forward to unshakeable salvation, an eternity spent with our loving Creator. It brings rest, not to our bodies, but to our souls. The rest we often settle for is like a sip of water, but the hope and the rest found in God is like a deep well that never dries up. If this hope brought David rest in the midst of fleeing for his life, fighting wars, and the stress of ruling a nation, then how much more will it bring rest for us? Jesus took on flesh for this very purpose: to make a relationship with God possible through His death and resurrection, and to offer us hope.
So this Christmas season, by all means take an extra nap or two, but also take time to meditate on the hope we have in Jesus and delight in the rest He gives.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Penny Cox
Scripture
Observation
Most likely your Christmas tree is decorated. If you haven’t already, soon you will place thoughtfully chosen presents under your tree. You eagerly wait for the moment your loved ones see their name on the tag, grab hold of your gift, and unwrap it receiving the blessing you planned for them. Your desire for them to experience this gift is so strong you may even call out their name asking them if they have seen the package.
The love and joy we experience in gift-giving provides us a glimpse into God’s heart. God has given us the undeserved gift and privilege of being right with Him and at peace with Him because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. By faith, we receive His freely-given gift of salvation. And in the very next chapter, Paul will even unpack how baptism becomes the beautiful picture of how we respond in faith to receive this gift.
When we choose to give glory to God, remembering all He has done for us, our faith in His promises is strengthened. Strong faith enables us to endure and develop increasing Godly character through the inevitable trials and difficulties that are part of life in the flesh. God’s overwhelming love for us is proved as surely as His Holy Spirit fills our hearts with His love, joy, and hope. We are confident that we will share in His glory and our hope of eternal life in heaven will be realized because God has promised it.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Anne King
Scripture
Observation
When I hear the word “hope,” I think of the poem “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickenson. She compares hope to a bird, small and unbreakable, that keeps singing through storms and gales and unknowns, and it takes much to “abash the little bird that kept so many warm.”
I am reminded of that poem this Christmas season as I remember my own history and the story that I build my faith upon. I wonder what hope would be like if I didn’t have the birth of Christ. I wonder what hope would be like if it trembled in the face of any storm that came against me.
Thankfully, my hope is unshakable. My hope keeps me warm.
In Colossians 1:27, Paul writes “To [the Lord’s people] God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Thank goodness for the hope we have in God’s glory.
Whether you come into this Christmas season full of grief and heartache or joy and optimism for whatever the upcoming year holds, take a moment to remind yourself of the hope you have in God’s glory, in the death and resurrection of Christ and in the promise of salvation that awaits you.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
Write down the name of someone you can share this with today.
Week 2: Peace
The peace we have in Jesus is a gift to show that God is with us. In this second week of Advent, we rest in the presence of God’s peace as revealed in Jesus. Before you read the first devotional, take a moment to pause, breathe slowly, and embody the rest God has for your soul. Think deeply on this simple phrase from Ephesians 2:14: “For He is our peace.”
By Jennie Bishop
Scripture
Observation
Christmas is a very emotional time for me. I feel sadness when I miss precious loved ones who are no longer with me. I feel tremendous joy and love when I sit with my grandchildren watching our favorite animated Christmas programs.
And the most significant and emotional Christmas tradition is the Christmas Eve service at church. Because the lights are often dimmed, I feel very peaceful as we enter the sanctuary. As that same sense of peace continues through the entire service, my heart begins to fill with tremendous hope for the Church as I watch many different generations sitting together worshiping and focusing on the actual meaning of the Christmas season. When I look at the three generations of my own family, I silently thank God for all of the tremendously precious blessings in my own life.
As the service concludes, my favorite part of the service begins: the lighting of the candles. A few people begin to share the light of their candles with those nearby, and as the light passes from one person to another, a traditional Christmas hymn also plays. As I watch the light fill our sanctuary, I am reminded of the powerful and abundant love of Christ. I am also filled with gratitude for the light of hope, peace, and salvation the Christ child brought to our world of darkness.
I pray you also feel the depth and power and light of our Prince of Peace who changed our world forever.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Molly Bunton
Scripture
Observation
“The problem with worry is we are often imagining a future where God is not.” When my friend first said these words I was confused. I knew my worries about the future weren’t good, but I hadn’t said anything about God. That was exactly her point. When we worry, we often imagine everything that might go wrong, but fail to imagine what God might do if it does. How might He help? How will I experience His presence in the middle of that imagined worst case scenario? I hadn’t imagined those answers; no wonder I didn’t feel any peace.
In Philippians 4, Paul tells the believers not to worry because they know the source of true peace: God. God’s peace is not mere positive thinking; in fact, it’s beyond our understanding. We can’t manufacture it for ourselves; we receive it from God. And because it’s from God, it has the power to guard our hearts and our minds. This peace is found in God’s presence.
What leads you to worry at Christmas time? The never ending to-do list? A maxed out budget? Navigating uncertain relationship dynamics? The reasons for worry are many. But the Christmas story reminds us that God doesn’t leave us to navigate any of it alone. Jesus’ birth shows us God’s desire has always been to be with us.
Paul’s advice? Focus our hearts and minds on God’s presence through the pattern of our thoughts and through prayer. “And the God of peace will be with you.”
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Nikki Rorabaugh
Scripture
Observation
I’ll admit it—I’m one of those people who puts up the Christmas tree early and waits until the very last moment to take it down. There’s just something about those twinkling lights. For me, they’re more than a decoration; they’re a reminder of the beauty of this season—a space of peace and calm in a troubled world. They bring back sweet memories of family Christmases, and, most importantly, they point me back to that holy night when Jesus arrived under a dark, starry sky.
As a child, I loved lying under the tree and looking up at the lights. Those moments felt safe and magical. I’m grateful for those carefree Christmases when life seemed simpler, when it was easier to trust the world without the worries that come with getting older.
But as life goes on, things change. I know what it feels like to lose a loved one. I’ve felt the fear when someone close is sick. I understand the weight of wanting to protect a child from life’s uncertainties. And in all of that, I’ve realized that trusting God isn’t always easy. It’s something we choose every day— sometimes moment by moment—as we draw near to Him and learn to rest in His love and plan for us.
Isaiah 26:3–4 reminds us: “Our experience of the peace of God is only as real as our trust in God. We can’t have peace without trust.”
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Lisa Kruger
Scripture
Observation
Advent is often seen as a time of calm and beauty, but for many, peace feels distant amid burdens, grief, and worry. Yet Advent enters that very brokenness to proclaim hope and peace through Christ.
In John 14, Jesus comforts His disciples as they fear His departure, gently urging them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.” His words are not a command to suppress fear but an invitation to trust and rest in Him. He assures them that He is preparing a place for them in His Father’s house, a promise of belonging and eternal peace.
When Thomas admits uncertainty, Jesus responds, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” reminding us that peace is found not in control or understanding but in staying close to Him.
Later, Jesus acknowledges that trouble will come, yet declares, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” This is the heart of Advent peace: not fragile or dependent on circumstances, but rooted in the unshakable victory of Christ.
His peace meets us in pain, loss, and chaos, offering presence instead of absence. As we light the candle of peace, we remember that no darkness can overcome Christ’s light. True peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of the Savior who whispers to our weary hearts, “Take heart. I have overcome.”
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Kim Bushnell
Scripture
Observation
At Christmas, we celebrate the coming of Jesus, the baby in the manger who is also the Shepherd of our souls.
Hebrews calls Him the God of Peace who equips us with everything we need.
Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd.
At Bethlehem, the angels proclaimed “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace…” That peace wasn’t a vague wish, it was a person. Jesus came as a baby, but also as the Shepherd-King, laying down His life for His sheep, and through His Resurrection, He secured lasting peace for all who believe and for eternity.
Peace isn’t the absence of conflict; it is the fullness of God’s presence leading and protecting us. Jesus, as our Shepherd, provides care, guidance, and protection for our souls.
It should be no surprise that the God of peace announced the arrival of His Son on earth to shepherds!
Remember to thank God for His gift of peace.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Jeff Berger
Scripture
Observation
Is your Christmas anything like mine used to be?
My mind would be constantly racing through my lists…. Did I have everything done? Did I have all my gifts bought? Did I have all my gifts wrapped? Did I forget anything? Were they going to like what I bought them? Did I have everything I need for the Christmas meal? What time did I need to get things started? Was everyone going to make it?
These are just a few of the questions that ran through my mind during Christmas.
Christmas can be such a wonderful time. However, due to commercialization, Christmas can be a time of anxiousness, stress, frustration, anger, resentment, bitterness, denial, and even isolation and loneliness. These emotions can come when we forget that God has given us the best Christmas gift ever – His Son Jesus Christ, the ultimate gift of peace that would allow us a pathway to wholeness with God.
When I fall back in my old ways of worrying about the list of to-do’s during Christmas, I ask myself if am I truly listening to Him, the One who can and will give me true peace and joy? Are my ears closed to hearing Him? Am I focused on the wrong things? Have I fallen into the trap of distractions that divert my attention away from the real gift?
Take time to ponder if that describes you, too. How can Christ bring a change?
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Jay Anderson
Scripture
Observation
I love music – especially Christmas music. Maybe it is because so much of it is familiar, it only comes out for a few weeks and then gets put away for 11 months so it never gets old (if you do it the right way and don’t start celebrating before Thanksgiving!), or maybe it is because of a very common theme in Christmas music that can be so incredibly vacant in our day-to-day lives – peace.
Peace is a theme that permeates much of the music and lore around the Christmas season, but in today’s day and age, with the busyness of life, it is so often missing. It seems that the list of events to attend, gifts to buy, or traditions to follow is longer than the slightly more famous list that we often hear about this time of year – the one wielded by a certain grandfatherly fellow in a red suit.
We desire peace. God designed us that way, and He desires for us to have peace. This is why He sent His Son, to give us a way to truly know eternal peace – a way that wouldn’t be possible for us without the gift of Jesus. Despite God’s silence for several centuries prior to Jesus’ coming, His compassion on us never wavered. It is that compassion that guides us to peace, just as John guided Israel toward Jesus.
As we continue this season of Advent, let’s reflect on the peace that God’s compassion offers to us – the true and eternal peace – and maybe some musical peace, too!
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
Write down the name of someone you can share this with today.
Week 3: Love
The love we have in Jesus is a gift to show that God is with us. In this third week of Advent, we rejoice in our beloved Messiah and the unconditional love He shows us. The lines between our love for God and our love for others are quite blurry. This is on purpose, as the way we most clearly love God is in the way we love people. As you begin studying the theme of love, pray for God to bring someone to mind whom you find difficult to love. Ask that God would stir your heart to show them Christlike love this week.
By Kirk Bouse
Scripture
Observation
What is love? What does it mean to love? What does it mean to be loved? How do we know that we are loved?
These are questions that many people ask themselves on a regular basis. In the self-serving world we live in today, we tend to look for the answers to those questions in the wrong places. We are entering into what is supposed to be one of the most joyous and loving times of the year, Christmas! I recently experienced two instantaneous and unconditional love moments that I have only experienced a few times in my life.
I had my first two grandchildren born just 10 days apart. The moment I held each one of them for the first time and their eyes met mine – I was experiencing the type of love that only comes from God himself, through the gift of Jesus Christ.
1 John 4:9-12 tells us that God showed His love for us by sending His only Son to atone for our sins. Since God’s love is the ultimate source of true love and answers all the above questions, then we as believers should be loving others in the same way.
Let’s make this Christmas an expression of Christ’s love living in us.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Ernest Curry
Scripture
Observation
As a young boy, I was the oldest sibling, with one brother and 3 sisters. As kids will be, we had many fun times together, but also plenty of conflict. And, of course, I always felt like I was right and they were wrong. Fortunately for me they have since forgiven me for all those times.
Sometimes when people gather at special times like Christmas, they find that they have serious differences of belief or opinion with their friends or family. Certain conversations are strained or off-limits to keep a semblance of peace.
At times like these, love and acceptance may seem limited and conditional. But, not so with our relationship with Jesus.
Romans 8:16-17 states, “The Spirit Himself bears witness that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs with Christ.”
Rest assured that the love that God has for us is not conditional.
Romans 8:35 asks, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” The answer?
“[Nothing] in all creation will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (verse 37).
So this Christmas when you gather with friends and family, just realize you’re standing with your Lord Jesus Christ and the unconditional love He has for you. Pray that God will open doors to share the story of Jesus with those who don’t know this assurance and love.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Mitchell and Annie Denney
Scripture
Observation
Almost everyone had rules they had to follow growing up. Sometimes, those rules felt like guidelines from a caring parent that wants to see their child succeed. Other times, those rules felt more harsh, counterproductive, or unnecessary.
When you look at the Ten Commandments, they seem like a set of rules for how to behave, but like a good parent, God didn’t give His people these “rules” just because He could or wanted to control them. In Exodus 34, we see that God is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.
The Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites not to harm them or restrict them, but to give them boundaries and protection to live and to grow a flourishing, holy life. And the same is true for Christ followers today. Jesus, our Messiah, fulfilled the law when He died on the cross for our sins, so we are not held accountable to the Old Testament law anymore, but that doesn’t mean we abandon the commands given to us.
Especially because these commands are good, and they are for our good.
Like a loving parent, God has given us this call to do good works, not so He can control us or harm us, but so we may follow Him.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By John Colvett
Scripture
Observation
Abiding. In John 15:9-13, the Bible says that Jesus loved as God loved, and then Jesus’ command to His disciples is to remain in His love by loving one another as He has loved them. What does Jesus ask us to do then? Abide in that love!
Abide means to remain in that love. This can be difficult sometimes. Our earthly flesh can cause us to forget to love others, especially when things don’t go our way and with others who are the closest to us. And this seems to happen more often in the holiday season when family members spend time with one another.
Jesus is the example for us of abiding love for His Father, for He showed His love for His Father and for us, by dying on the cross for our sins.
This Christmas season, may we remain in that love. Let’s reflect on what abiding in His love means for us and how we can show His love, just like Jesus showed His love for us.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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By Jessica Clements
Scripture
Observation
Snow globes are great decorations on your mantle – but no one really wants “whirly and swirly” to describe their Christmas. Our hearts yearn for stillness. Our Christmas song lyrics even reflect that: silent nights, calm nights, midnight clears.
But, what brings true stillness to our hearts? What quiets that seasonal shake of the snow globe?
This verse in Zephaniah begins to answer those questions. This verse has been an encouragement in just about every life circumstance I’ve faced, and its words hang in my home as a daily reminder of how big, powerful AND accessible our God is.
Can you see the picture this verse paints of who God is? We see a mighty, powerful God who draws close to us. But it’s not just His proximity that has stood out to me over the years; it’s also the description of His actions in the final three lines:
- The God of the universe delights in you, like a parent or grandparent delights in the coos of a baby. Do you feel that warmth?
- The God of the universe will quiet your anxieties, your overthinking and your overplanning with His love. Do you feel that hush in your spirit?
- The God of the universe will sing over you! Can you hear that melody of grace, mercy and joy?
When things feel a little shaken this Christmas season, I invite you to commit this verse to memory. It’s a promise of His presence. It’s a reminder of His power. It’s a description of His character, one marked with gladness, singing and the quiet depth of His love.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
Write down the name of someone you can share this with today.
By KK
Scripture
Observation
Many people have fallen for the lie that quality is more important than quantity. If we’re honest with ourselves, when it comes to truly loving someone, quantity is just as important. When someone chooses day in and day out to love us at our best and at our worst, we know that it’s true love. Why? Their constant presence.
In Deuteronomy 7:7-11, God explains that it was not the Israelites’ strength or their numbers that drew Him to them. Rather, He simply chose them and was committed to see His promise through to the end. He was committed to being with them in their messiness to make them into His holy nation as they walked in obedience to His commands.
He offers the same thing to us today. In John 14:23, Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him.” In the Great Commission, Jesus promises that as we go making disciples, He will be with us. Quantity and quality. It doesn’t get any better than that! That’s true love.
The question for us is: Are we seeking to love Jesus with that same kind of presence, that quantity and quality love, in every aspect of our life? Are we loving Him by allowing Him to transform us into His image and by joining Him in His work to go make disciples of all peoples?
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
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By Solomon Junnuri
Scripture
Observation
As I reflect on this passage during this season of festivity and holidays, the phrase “put on love” keeps standing out to me. Paul describes love as the bond that holds everything together; compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience all find their strength in love. It’s not just a feeling but a way of living that shapes how we relate to one another as God’s chosen people.
I couldn’t help but smile when I found out that this passage was assigned to me for this year’s Advent guide – it’s almost the exact same Scripture we focused on at my fall retreat, where the theme was forgiveness. It feels like God keeps bringing me back to these verses for a reason.
During this season, it’s easy to get caught up in busyness and overlook those around us. While reading John Mark Comer’s book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” in my small group, I’ve been reminded that love and hurry simply don’t mix.
Christ’s birth and His Resurrection invite us to slow down and intentionally “put on” love so that His peace rules in our hearts and shines through our lives.
As we embrace our Christmas traditions of singing carols, sharing meals, and giving gifts, I pray that we may also wear love daily – offering forgiveness, showing kindness, and extending grace to one another. This is how the world will see Christ through us, especially at Christmas.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
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Week 4: Joy
The joy we have in Jesus is a gift to show that God is with us. In this last week of Advent, we celebrate! For all our longing, we hold fast to the truth that Christ has come and this gives us every reason to rejoice in Him! Start this week by acknowledging how God has been good to you. If you’re in a group, go around the circle and share with one another what God has done for you in Christ. Give God thanks for these things!
By Amber Grider
Scripture
Observation
Christmas is a time of wonder and filled to the brim with JOY! It’s in eager anticipation of giving and receiving gifts.
Joy is the family members stuffed into the nooks and crannies of our homes or Grandma’s house as we gather to celebrate.
We can find joy in the music we hum while we wrap presents, decorate the tree, or while we cross off items on our shopping list.
Joy is uncovered as we pull memories out of ornament boxes, and as we enjoy friendship over slices of pie or nibbles of gingerbread cookies.
But can you only imagine the joy that was felt on earth when our Savior was born? The sky emblazoned with musical joy, filtering down from Heaven! The shepherds ran to see what had been exclaimed and then shared their joy with the sleepy little town of Bethlehem, too excited to contain it. Joy began to breathe its power into the lives of those that were made aware that our sweet Savior had arrived. In fact, joy bubbled out of them and brought hope to our world through the birth of a baby: The Messiah.
I think there are so many wonderful attributes to the Christmas story, but I love that the foundational emotion is joy. From this core emotion, so many others can grow and flourish.
As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, let’s allow joy, a word mentioned 245 times in the Bible, to hold an intentional spot in our hearts.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
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By Joe Shook
Scripture
Observation
We are joy seekers. No matter what our focus is on, we are looking for something that brings us joy. There are lots of things that bring us joy, such as a hobby, a night out, time with family, a competition, something tasty, or maybe just a nap.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to “Rejoice continually…” but where do we go when we don’t feel joyful? The Bible describes joy as a choice – something that we can find or lose regardless of the situation. Habakkuk illustrates this most clearly when he writes, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
David echoes this idea in Psalm 16, that the presence of God is where joy is found. When you are looking for joy, think about and give thanks for the truths of God. He created you, died for the forgiveness of your sins, His presence is with you at all times (Joshua 1:9), He is guiding you through His perfect plan (Romans 8:28), and He is actively, right now making you holier (Acts 13:32-39).
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
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By Ajai Lall
Scripture
Observation
This story contains some graphic imagery. Be sensitive to young listeners.
Gladys and her husband Graham left the comforts of their Australian home to serve India’s untouchables—the lepers whom society had cast aside. Their ministry threatened local Hindu extremists who saw their presence as a Western invasion of their Indian culture and religion.
One day, these extremists surrounded Graham and their two sons as they slept in their jeep. In an act of unspeakable cruelty, they set the vehicle ablaze, burning alive the father and both children.
India held its breath. News cameras swarmed the funeral, as the nation waited for the widow’s response. As millions watched, reporters pressed her to address the men who had so brutally taken her family. What Gladys Staines said next would reverberate through millions of homes across India: “I want these men to know that I forgive them.”
Then, in a moment that shocked everyone watching, Gladys and her daughter, her only surviving child, sang:
- Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
No matter the depth of hardships we face, joy is possible for the one who trusts in Christ. Christ has come. Christ has conquered. Christ will come again. This is the source of our joy! How has God given you an unshakable joy? Take time now to give Him thanks for this.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
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By Christi Bates
Scripture
Observation
Christmas is a season filled with joy. The world sees joy as something good that happens in our lives. So, we are joyful at the birth of a child, a promotion, a bonus, or a special gift or event. But, as Christians, we always have access to joy, no matter our circumstances, because God is joy!
Joy is not purely internal; it is reflected externally. In other words, our lives will look differently when we are joyful. That doesn’t mean we are happy or smiling all the time. The fullness of joy comes from God’s nearness.
As we read our Bibles, stay in His presence, and seek Him first by praying, talking, focusing on Him and His promise, it is then that our joy will be full!
Regardless of what is going on in our lives, the joy of the Lord can naturally burst forth. Nehemiah 8:10b “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
When everything in our lives seems to be going wrong, God’s joy can still be found.
The best is still to come! God welcomes us to come and share in His joy and our, eternal home when Jesus comes back. God owes us nothing, but has given us everything – taking all our sin and removing it with Jesus’ death on the cross. This is good news! This is reason to celebrate this Christmas season with JOY.
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
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By Corey Scott
Scripture
Observation
I’m not sure when you’re reading this. Perhaps it’s in the quiet of Christmas morning before all the activity begins, or maybe it’s after the dust has settled. Imagine that it’s at the end of the day, and the house is quite messy. How easy would it be to clean the house at night with all the lights off? Would you trust yourself to wash dishes, dust the living room, or vacuum the floors if you can’t see at all? Probably not. The dirt in our house stays hidden quite nicely when the lights are off. But as soon as we turn on the light, we’re able to see the dirt.
John 1:9 tells us that Jesus is the “true light.” He is the original. It is only by His light that we know what light is, that we can clearly spot the darkness in our lives and in our world. And His light is filled with the unconditional love that overcomes our darkness (John 1:5).
As our hearts are turned to the gift of light today, we are reminded that the light of Jesus is with us. We don’t have to wander in the dark, trying to clean up our own lives. Instead, we’re blessed with His purifying, powerful, and perfect perspective. Don’t stay in the dark today. Allow the light of Christ to overcome your darkness. And let His light shine through you to overcome the darkness in this world.
Merry Christmas!
Application
What is a truth you can carry with you? How will you obey this passage? Are there any promises to claim or sins to avoid?
Prayer
Take time to pray for God to help you understand and apply this text today.
Share
Write down the name of someone you can share this with today.