Christmas Advent Devotional | Day 11
Advent – Day 11
The Great Preparation. Today, guest contributor Rev. Dr. Russell Alexander takes us through some salient points on the second coming of Christ. Prep work is often necessary, and many times, must be done well in advance of the main goal you’re shooting for. The season of Advent is a season that is all about preparation. But what exactly are we preparing for? Remember that Advent means “coming,” and we are taking time to reflect on the birth of Jesus in this Christmas season, and its significance to each one of us. As we have concluded Matthew 2, we are taking a brief look at Christ’s second coming.
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; 10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. 12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Devotional Thoughts
Prep work is often necessary, and many times, must be done well in advance of the main goal you’re shooting for. The season of Advent is a season that is all about preparation. But what exactly are we preparing for? The term “advent” means “coming.” We are preparing for Jesus’ arrival in two ways. First, we are remembering and celebrating his first arrival as the baby in Bethlehem’s manager, what we celebrate as Christmas today. Secondly, we are simultaneously looking ahead to His second arrival, when He will come to bring us to our eternal home at the last day.
This second preparation, known as the second coming, is what Paul is praying that the Thessalonians are ready for in the above passage. Paul’s letter to them are both an effort to teach and correct things that he didn’t have time to get to when he was with them in-person. It was an opportunity for him to express joy in what they were doing well in spite of his rather prolonged absence from them. His disciple, Timothy, had returned to Thessalonica to continue to work with them, and his positive report of what was going on spurred Paul to write his first letter to their congregation.
He starts by expressing his joy at their good works. He then turns the tide by saying that he desired to come to them again so that he could guide them in perfecting their faith. Not that they were doing something wrong, but that there was room for improvement. The message is the same today for all of us as we prepare for the Lord’s second coming. It’s easy to be complacent in our faith walk, but there is always more that we could do better. Paul touched on love, that we could do better in the area of learning to love others. He touched on our hearts being blameless, as we reconcile our short-comings with God. He touched on faith being lacking, and could be perfected. These messages still resonate with us today. Within the 24 hours we have in a day, we can pray a bit more than we do now. We can spend a bit more time in His word than we do. We can put the cell phones away for a bit longer, especially at church on Sundays! My pastor used to say that if you are not going higher, you are usually sliding down, with the illusion that you were stationary.
Christ – His Imminent Return
One of the promises that keeps us encouraged is that Christ is coming again with His saints. He says in John 14 that He is preparing a place for us so that we can be with Him. Every believer has that hope that they will see their loved ones who have passed again. There is a real place where there are no more tears, no more destruction, and no more evil. As we prepare for all the different goals and targets we have, let us continue to prepare ourselves to meet our Christ and Bridegroom as well.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word which keeps polishing and perfecting us. Help me to see the areas in which I can do better, and grant me the grace to press toward that mark. May we be continually be prepared for that great day, when we see you face to face. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Russell Alexander serves as Pastor of Antioch, Wesley Chapel, The Gathering United Methodist Church. In 1997 Rev. Alexander founded Children In Crisis Inc. and serves as its Executive Director. That same year he started The Untold Gospel Magazine (TUG) a Teen Magazine. He received his doctorate from the United Theological Seminary in 2022. Reverend Alexander is married to Shonja Alexander and lives in Charlotte, NC. http://www.childrenincrisisnetwork.org/
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Christmas Advent Devotional Day 10
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