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!
Verses: Genesis 1:1-2, 24-31
1 In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. 2 The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit was moving over the water.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth be filled with animals, each producing more of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small crawling animals and wild animals, and let each produce more of its kind.” And it happened. 25 So God made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling animals to produce more of their own kind. God saw that this was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the tame animals, over all the earth, and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.”
27 So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them and said, “Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 God said, “Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you. 30 I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the air, and every small crawling animal.” And it happened. 31 God looked at everything he had made, and it was very good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the sixth day.
- The Bible tells us in the beginning, this world was empty, had no form, no order, and was covered by darkness. Can you imagine a world covered by darkness, with no light whatsoever? Try to turn off your lights, close your eyes, cover your ears, and experience only 2 minutes of complete darkness. Imagine if the world has no form, no order and is covered by complete darkness? How would you feel if you were born to a world like that?
- God created everything with his words, but not when he created human. Instead, God “took dust from the ground and formed a man from it.” He ‘created human beings in his image and likeness.” He then “breathed the breath of life into the man’s nose.” He tells us each one of us is ‘wonderfully and fearfully made’. He created us in the peak of his creation, and after he made us he regarded his creation finished. In fact, he rested from all his work, and blessed the 7th day by calling it a holy day. How much do you think God values human? How much do you think he expects from us?
- Take a quick look at the newspaper and the internet – on what is happening around us in this world of ours. How far have we fallen from God’s standard? How do you think God feels? How broken-hearted do you think God is?
- Despite our far we have fallen, God has not given up on us. His LOVE for us is amazing. He still wishes to save us, and bring us back to his side, so that we can be his children again eternally. It is out of his ultimate love that he sends his only son, Jesus to us. It is this perfect love that brought us Christmas – the gift of Jesus Christ, our only Lord, our only salvation.