Skip to main content

“’Tis the season to be looking.”

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Because of Bethlehem (with Bonus Content): Love Is Born, Hope Is Here (p. 93). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

There is so much looking to be done.

Max says, “Looking for snow if it’s cold, mistletoe if he’s dense, instructions if some assembly is required. Looking for red-nose lights if you’re young, headlights if you’re a grandma, insights if you’re a preacher. ’Tis the season to be looking.”

We also are looking at the birth of Jesus, looking at that First Advent. But there is also a Second Advent to be looking for this season.

Max says, “We live between the Advents. The Second Advent will include the sudden, personal, visible, bodily return of Christ. Jesus promised, ‘I will come again’ (John 14: 3 RSV). The author of Hebrews declared, ‘Christ . . . will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him’ (9: 28 RSV).”

Later he says, “If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, what would you do today? Then do it! Live in such a way that you would not have to change your plans."

Max then says, “In an earlier chapter, I mentioned the sorrow that plagued our family one December. Our daughter suffered a miscarriage during the Advent season. The next year, however, the sorrow was replaced with joy. Christmas brought the excitement of her healthy pregnancy. So healthy, in fact, that Jenna gave each of us an assignment. She was at the point in her pregnancy when the baby was developing the ability to hear. So she asked family members to record audio messages that she could play for her yet-to-be-born daughter.

“Who could refuse such an opportunity? I retreated to a quiet corner and captured this welcome.

“Dear, dear child. We are so excited to welcome you into the world. We are waiting for you. Your parents have prepared a place for you. You have grandparents, aunts, and uncles ready to shower you with love. We cannot wait to spend time loving you and showing you your wonderful new home. 

“Only after I finished did I realize that is God’s invitation to us! He has prepared a place. He has a family to love us. And he has a sparkling new world to show us. Who knows? This could be the day of our delivery.”

And that is something for us as Christ followers to really look forward to, isn't?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference.   You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more