Introduction:
Dear brothers and sisters, as we step into December we are in the month of Jesus’ birthday – Christmas! What do you notice around yourself in this special season? Sales and shopping? Vacation and trips? Is your schedule packed with parties and celebrations? Quality time with family?
All these are great, but unfortunately they have nothing to do with the true meaning of CHRIST-mas. Jesus is the reason for the season!
Traditionally, churches observe the period that starts 4 Sundays before the Christmas day as “Advent season” with various religious ceremonies. Ceremonies aside, the true meaning of Advent is we prepare our hearts, quiet ourselves before God in this special season, and focus on 1. the darkness of the world, 2. the true light of Jesus, and 3. The glory of Jesus when He returns again.
This year, at PGC we will put the regular 260 Devotion on hold, and take the rest of December to approach, meditate and walk through some scriptures together leading to Christmas day!
Did you know that Jesus was there in the very beginning of this world? Did you know that Jesus has made his marks throughout the Old Testament? Did you know that God has given us many pictures of Jesus way before he was born? Do you want to meet Jesus again in His words for the first time this Christmas in 12 different devotions?
Are you ready? Let’s start today!
Background: God saved the people of Israel from the chains and whips of the Egyptians, but now in the desert and wilderness the Israelites are moaning and whining. They complain they are thirsty, and God instructs Moses to strike a rock, and water comes out of the rock to ease Israelites’ thirst.
Verses: Exodus 17:5-6; John 4:10-14
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Carry with you the walking stick that you used to strike the Nile River. Now go! 6 I will stand in front of you on a rock at Mount Sinai. Hit that rock with the stick, and water will come out of it so that the people can drink.” Moses did these things as the elders of Israel watched.
—–
10 Jesus said, “If you only knew the free gift of God and who it is that is asking you for water, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said, “Sir, where will you get this living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. 12 Are you greater than Jacob, our father, who gave us this well and drank from it himself along with his sons and flocks?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life.”
- Have you experienced extreme thirst? How did your body feel? The saddest part is even though our body can give us warning signs when we experience extreme physical thirst, our spiritual life is so weak it often fails to give us warnings when we are spiritually thirsty! What is your spiritual life like? What is your relationship with God?
- Read this verse in John 4:13-14 again. What is God trying to foreshadow in this incident with Moses striking the rock? Think about this – we are thirsty to the point of dying, we strike the rock once, and water comes out of it to ease our thirst. Meditate on what Jesus said in John 4. Who is that rock we strike?
- When the Israelites were complaining about their thirst again in Numbers Chapter 20, why did God ask Moses not to strike the rock for the 2nd time? Why was God so mad when Moses was disobedient and struck the rock twice to get water?
- To ease our thirst forever, and mend the broken relationship between us and God, Jesus must be struck really hard. Yet, out of love for all of us, Jesus willingly walked on to the cross to be struck for all of us. Remember Jesus when you devote on this scripture, and pray to Jesus.