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Before you begin, take a few moments to find and create for yourself a quiet space. You can turn off your phone and close any chat or other things that might interrupt your time. Give your time and attention wholly to God for the next while.

You might say a prayer, inviting God to speak to you, to reveal Himself to you and to help you grow in your knowledge and understanding of who He is and who He calls you to be.

 

¹ The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ² who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.³ Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

⁴ John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ⁶ and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ⁷ Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

 

Reflection

Revelation is a powerful affirmation of the sovereignty of God, the primacy of Jesus, and the certain judgment God will bring on all evil – including the evil one, Satan. We will benefit greatly as we meditate on the glory of God revealed in Jesus, and the ultimate triumph of God.

With this in mind, read the passage slowly and pay attention to the characteristics and actions of God described in today’s passage.  What image of God appears in your mind now? What does it mean to you today?

Apostle John was worshipping when God’s revelation came to him. Read this passage a few times as you join John in worshipping God.  What will you do and say in your worship based on today’s passage?

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

 

Proverbs for Today 30:7-9

⁷ Two things I ask of you;
    deny them not to me before I die:
⁸ Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is needful for me,
⁹ lest I be full and deny you
    and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
    and profane the name of my God.

Verses: Matthew 2:1-9

¹ Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. When Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. ² They asked, “Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, as were all the people in Jerusalem. ⁴ Herod called a meeting of all the leading priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Christ would be born. ⁵ They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this in the Scriptures:

⁶ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are not just an insignificant village in Judah.
A ruler will come from you
who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.’” Micah 5:2

⁷ Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men and learned from them the exact time they first saw the star. ⁸ He sent the wise men to Bethlehem, saying, “Look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me so I can worship him too.”

⁹ After the wise men heard the king, they left. The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. ¹¹ They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their own country by a different way.

 

• Traveling in the 1^st century was drastically different from traveling today. There was no plane, no bus, but only camel rides which was exhausting, uncomfortable, and even extremely dangerous with bandits and wild animals in the wilderness. Yet this didn’t stop the ‘wise men’ – educated, knowledgeable elites of the society at the times – to travel from far away, following star in the sky just to seek the Messiah. When they found Jesus they were ‘filled with joy’. They worshiped him and offered him gifts.

• Today, seeking Christ is much easier. There are churches everywhere in North America, Bibles are easily accessible to most, and lots of devotional and biblical knowledge are couple clicks away on the Internet. Yet do we seek Jesus with the same passion as the wise men? Do we experience joy in seeking Jesus? Do we worship Jesus and give him thanks when we experience Him in our lives? Reflect on how often we seek Jesus and whether we truly enjoy it or if it is more of a chore.

• The Bible goes on to tell us Herod goes on to kill every baby boy in the region because he was afraid Jesus would grow up to take the reign from him. It was actually Satan pulling the strings in the background, trying every mean to eliminate the salvation from us all. Thank God He is the King of Kings, and all of Satan’s tricks are nothing but child plays in His eyes. Have we experienced Satan’s attack or obstacles in the past year? Do we confront trials and obstacles in life with faith and courage from God? Think about this – if we are useful tools and worthy soldiers for God’s Kingdom, you know at some point Satan will try to stop us, just like in sports, teams always guard the best players, leaving the poor players open. How do we deal with trials or attacks? Do we know that God’s grace is sufficient for us? Or do we run away from attacks or trials? Let’s keep our faith and fight a good fight for God no matter our circumstances, because we KNOW we are already on the winning team!

• Listen to Silent Night (an example is on this YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRZOv31n1sY) Try to visualize the embrace the atmosphere when the world just quietly anticipates a new hope to mankind, the coming of God’s only son to dwell among us. Try to spend a moment and just quietly sit with God through meditation as you listen to this song.

• How are you spending tonight – the silent night? Are you excited to join the Christmas day worship tomorrow to celebrate our God’s greatest grace and greatest gift for us tomorrow? Don’t forget to join PGC brothers and sisters in celebrating Christmas day tomorrow – 10:30 AM at B.O.S.S.!

 

* Trivial Details – did you know contrary to what is widely portrayed, even among churches, the Bible never said there were 3 wise men? It only said there were 3 gifts!! Also, did you know that the wise men did not actually find Jesus on the night of his birth? Instead, they found Jesus when he was a little boy, some historians told us that was when he was 4 – 5 years old? Now that you know! J

 

Verses: Luke 1:26-38, 46-55

³⁰ The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. ³¹ Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. ³³ He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. ³⁷ God can do anything!”

³⁸ Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away.

—

⁴⁶ Then Mary said,

“My soul praises the Lord;
⁴⁷ my heart rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ because he has shown his concern for his humble servant girl.
From now on, all people will say that I am blessed,
⁴⁹ because the Powerful One has done great things for me.
His name is holy.
⁵⁰ God will show his mercy forever and ever
to those who worship and serve him.
⁵¹ He has done mighty deeds by his power.
He has scattered the people who are proud
and think great things about themselves.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
and raised up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with nothing.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant, the people of Israel,
remembering to show them mercy
⁵⁵ as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his children forever.”

 

 

• And this is the scripture where the life of a young girl took a drastic change, and would go down in history as the mother of the Savior. The name “Mary” literally means “exalted”. How special is God’s plan? Of all the girls that God could choose to bear His holy son, God has chosen a poor, ordinary Jewish girl from a small village that was not famous for anything at all – her credentials could not be more ‘ordinary’. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, God’s plans are foolish to the world, but it’s a great mysterious wisdom to those connected to the creator!

 

• Do we sometimes feel average or even sub-standard compared to others? Do we feel overwhelmed by others because of our education? Our job? Or wealth? Or family background? As we see in how God chose Mary, God doesn’t see people for these at all, instead He chooses people for their heart and their faith. Conversely, do we sometimes feel superior or more important because of our education? Our career, our wealth, or our abilities? May God humble our hearts so we may become useful tools to glorify Him.

 

• Being pregnant while still unmarried may be somewhat common in today’s North American culture (and that is not a good thing), but in the first century Middle East Jewish culture this was totally unacceptable. Not only would the girl be considered impure, she would bring shame to the entire family. Read the scripture again and consider yourself in the place of Mary. How would you feel if God’s calling would put you in a somewhat difficult situation?

 

• Despite not fully understanding the plan of God, Mary responded to God’s messenger saying, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” What courage does Mary have?!! Knowing full well the stares and name-calling and even possibly persecution she would get from her peers, her family, the society and even her fiancée, Mary bravely threw herself into the unknown future on faith alone! Slowly read Mary’s prayer to God (v46-55) and reflect on it.

 

• How has our Advent season been so far? Have we spent quality time meditating and devoting, preparing our hearts for Jesus’ birthday? Or have we been pre-occupied with the busy-ness of the commercial season, with parties, gatherings and shopping? Sometimes it is indeed difficult with the craziness of the season, but with 2 days until Christmas it’s still not too late! Let’s spend quality time with God and put Christ back in our Christmas season this year!

Verses: Luke 1:5-25

⁵ During the time Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to Abijah’s group.^[a] Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, came from the family of Aaron. ⁶ Zechariah and Elizabeth truly did what God said was good. They did everything the Lord commanded and were without fault in keeping his law. ⁷ But they had no children, because Elizabeth could not have a baby, and both of them were very old.

⁸ One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, because his group was on duty.⁹ According to the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ There were a great many people outside praying at the time the incense was offered. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing on the right side of the incense table. ¹² When he saw the angel, Zechariah was startled and frightened. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son, and you will name him John. ¹⁴ He will bring you joy and gladness, and many people will be happy because of his birth. ¹⁵ John will be a great man for the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer, and even from birth, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ He will help many people of Israel return to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will go before the Lord in spirit and power like Elijah. He will make peace between parents and their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the right way of thinking, to make a people ready for the coming of the Lord.”

¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is old, too.”

¹⁹ The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand before God, who sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰ Now, listen! You will not be able to speak until the day these things happen, because you did not believe what I told you. But they will really happen.”

²¹ Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was staying so long in the Temple. ²² When Zechariah came outside, he could not speak to them, and they knew he had seen a vision in the Temple. He could only make signs to them and remained unable to speak. ²³ When his time of service at the Temple was finished, he went home.

²⁴ Later, Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and did not go out of her house for five months. Elizabeth said, ²⁵ “Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamed^[b] of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame.”

 

• After the last chapter in Old Testament, God was silent for 400 years. His people did not receive any sign or direction from God, until this – God spoke to his people right through His angel about the pioneer for the Savior. Similarly, Zechariah and Elizabeth, despite being faithful to God all their lives, also had to endure a long wait before Elizabeth would finally bear a son. The common theme here seems to be ‘wait’. Does God make us wait, sometimes to build and equip us? Or sometimes to make us more gracious? Have you endured any lesson of waiting from God? Or are you in the middle of waiting for something from the Lord? Has God spoken to you through these verses about waiting?

 

• The angel told Zachariah “He will help many people of Israel return to the Lord their God” Indeed, as Christians, God’s calling for us is not just to help solve our loved ones’ problems, but to bring them, with their problems, to God so that they can experience the grace and love and almighty power of our heavenly father for themselves. At the end of the year, reflect on whom you have brought back to the Lord over the past year. Who did your cell group return to a personal relationship with God? And has God put anyone’s name in your heart at this very moment? Why not start with a quick phone call or a short message right after this devotion and prayer to start bringing him / her back to God?

 

• The first thing the angel said to Zachariah was “Do not be afraid.”, and that is the first line out of the mouth of many angels in the Bible as well. God knows in the light of his almighty power, the first instinct for us is to be afraid, and he does not want us to be afraid. In fact, our heavenly father has given us Jesus so that our sins can be justified, our relationship can be repaired and we can once again call God ‘father’. Do you have fears in your heart? Quiet yourself and pray to our heavenly father. Not only He will also tell you “Do not be afraid”, he will also love to hear and guide you through your fear!

Verses: Isaiah 53

 

1Who would have believed what we heard?
Who saw the Lord’s power in this?
² He grew up like a small plant before the Lord,
like a root growing in a dry land.
He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him;
there was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him.
³ He was hated and rejected by people.
He had much pain and suffering.
People would not even look at him.
He was hated, and we didn’t even notice him.

⁴ But he took our suffering on him
and felt our pain for us.
We saw his suffering
and thought God was punishing him.
⁵ But he was wounded for the wrong we did;
he was crushed for the evil we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him,
and we are healed because of his wounds.
⁶ We all have wandered away like sheep;
each of us has gone his own way.
But the Lord has put on him the punishment
for all the evil we have done.

⁷ He was beaten down and punished,
but he didn’t say a word.
He was like a lamb being led to be killed.
He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut;
he never opened his mouth.
⁸ Men took him away roughly and unfairly.
He died without children to continue his family.
He was put to death;
he was punished for the sins of my people.
⁹ He was buried with wicked men,
and he died with the rich.
He had done nothing wrong,
and he had never lied.

¹⁰ But it was the Lord who decided
to crush him and make him suffer.
The Lord made his life a penalty offering,
but he will still see his descendants and live a long life.
He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.
¹¹ “After his soul suffers many things,
he will see life and be satisfied.
My good servant will make many people right with God;
he will carry away their sins.
¹² For this reason I will make him a great man among people,
and he will share in all things with those who are strong.
He willingly gave his life
and was treated like a criminal.
But he carried away the sins of many people
and asked forgiveness for those who sinned.”

 

 

• Isaiah 53 was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, but look at the details in which Jesus’s life was described. God has prepared for our salvation long before we were ready for Him, like a loving father always looking out for, preparing well ahead of time for his sons and daughters.
• On this quiet night when this little child was born unto us, the life ahead of him has already been predetermined, and it isn’t an easy or comfortable road. Yet Jesus, even with full knowledge of the bitter cup ahead of him, still willingly walked down this road – to glorify God, and out of love for us. Read through the verses again, meditate on the extent Jesus sacrificed for us. Try to respond to Jesus in your prayer.
• In 1946 the Dead sea scrolls were discovered in Qumran, and they are ancient manuscripts scientifically dated back to at least 350 years before Jesus’ birth. In it includes the Book of Isaiah, and it proves Isaiah 53 was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. There is no doubt Isaiah 53 is a detailed description of Jesus, and not anyone else.  There is no denying the birth of God’s son to our world is a historic fact. Reflect on that in the Christmas season – the season to remember the birth of Christ.

 

Verses: Micah 5:2-5

 

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah,
from you will come one who will rule Israel for me.
He comes from very old times,
from days long ago.”

³ The Lord will give up his people
until the one who is having a baby gives birth;
then the rest of his relatives will return
to the people of Israel.
⁴ At that time the ruler of Israel will stand
and take care of his people
with the Lord’s strength
and with the power of the name of the Lord his God.
The Israelites will live in safety,
because his greatness will reach all over the earth.
⁵ He will bring peace.

 

• In Micah, God has clearly told his people that the savior would be born in Bethlehem hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and that is how the wise men were instructed to find baby Jesus there.

 

• Of all the cities in Israel or Judah, Bethlemen is one of the smallest and insignificant cities at the time of Jesus’ birth.  Yet it is the city that gives birth to King David and Jesus. God sure doesn’t overlook small cities, just like how he doesn’t overlook what the world considers as weak and insignificant among us!

 

• Have you ever listened to the Christmas carol “Little town of Bethlehem”? Find it on YouTube and listen to it, while imagining the magical atmosphere around this little city on the night Jesus was born, and this world has a brand new hope.

 

 

Background : God has asked Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh, to preach to the people so they wouldn’t do evil anymore. However Jonah held grudges against the Assyrian people who massacred the Israelites, and would not preach to them, so he boarded a ship to run away from the Lord. When God caused a big storm to come upon the ship, Jonah would rather ask the sailors to throw him into the sea than do what the Lord’s asked …

 

Verses: Jonah 1:14-2:10

 

¹⁴ So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t let us die because of this man’s life; please don’t think we are guilty of killing an innocent person. Lord, you have caused all this to happen; you wanted it this way.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea became calm. ¹⁶ Then they began to fear the Lord very much; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made promises to him.

¹⁷ The Lord caused a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

While Jonah was inside the fish, he prayed to the Lord his God and said,

² “When I was in danger,
I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
I was about to die,
so I cried to you,
and you heard my voice.
³ You threw me into the sea,
down, down into the deep sea.
The water was all around me,
and your powerful waves flowed over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I was driven out of your presence,
but I hope to see your Holy Temple again.’
⁵ The waters of the sea closed around my throat.
The deep sea was all around me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
⁶ When I went down to where the mountains of the sea start to rise,
I thought I was locked in this prison forever,
but you saved me from the pit of death,
Lord my God.

⁷ “When my life had almost gone,
I remembered the Lord.
I prayed to you,
and you heard my prayers in your Holy Temple.

⁸ “People who worship useless idols
give up their loyalty to you.
⁹ But I will praise and thank you
while I give sacrifices to you,
and I will keep my promises to you.
Salvation comes from the Lord!”

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and the fish threw up Jonah onto the dry land.

 

• Sometimes there are moments we don’t understand God, or get upset at God. We may be stubborn against what God wants us to do. Even Jonah, a great prophet, was once very mad at God. Do you have similar experience? Have you ever been upset or mad at God? It is ok, God allows us to be mad or upset at Him. What he doesn’t like is to run away from Him. Do you have something in your mind you’d like to tell God? Past experiences we don’t understand? Bitterness that is still in our hearts? Try to tell all that to God through a prayer!

•  Jonah could not overcome his own emotions when he was busy running away from God, but notice how when in the belly of a big fish, cut out from the outside world, Jonah could finally clear his mind, and said one of the most sincere prayers he’s ever said to God. Do you have a habit of devoting, reflecting and meditating? Do you spend quiet time away from your busy life every day?
• Jonah was asked to deliver a message of salvation to the people of Nineveh, and he was trapped inside the fish for 3 days before he saw daylight again. When people asked Jesus to perform another miracle, Jesus said “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle for a sign. But no sign will be given to them, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights.” (Matthew 12:39-40) God used the story of Jonah to foreshadow the death and resurrection of Jesus. The gift of salvation is given to us because Jesus was willing to pay a hefty price – His own life. Let us respond to Jesus through our prayer in this Christmas season!

 

 

Verses: Isaiah 11:1-9

 

11 A new branch will grow

from a stump of a tree;

so a new king will come

from the family of Jesse

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king.

The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power.

The Spirit will teach him to know and respect the Lord.

3 This king will be glad to obey the Lord.

He will not judge by the way things look

or decide by what he hears.

4 But he will judge the poor honestly;

he will be fair in his decisions for the poor people of the land.

At his command evil people will be punished,

and by his words the wicked will be put to death.

5 Goodness and fairness will give him strength,

like a belt around his waist.

6 Then wolves will live in peace with lambs,

and leopards will lie down to rest with goats.

Calves, lions, and young bulls will eat together,

and a little child will lead them.

7 Cows and bears will eat together in peace.

Their young will lie down to rest together.

Lions will eat hay as oxen do.

8 A baby will be able to play near a cobra’s hole,

and a child will be able to put his hand into the nest of a poisonous snake.

9 They will not hurt or destroy each other

on all my holy mountain,

because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord,

as the sea is full of water.

 

• Isaiah talked of coming of a ‘new king’ and a ‘new kingdom’. Let’s read the scriptures again and notice what is the relationship between the ‘new king’ and his people? How will he treat the weak and the poor? And how will he treat the evil people? Can you imagine living in a world like that?

 

• See how the scripture describes the relationship between animals and human, and relationship among animals themselves. Isn’t it amazing if there is complete harmony between human and animal, so that babies can play with cobras, and wolves would sleep with lamb?

 

• Ever since sin got into our world, the relationship among people, and among animals have been broken, to a point we cannot even remember the world of complete harmony in God’s originally created world. Close your eyes and imagine a world of no hunger, no sickness, no death, no sadness, no sin, no injustice … only joy, love and complete harmony. That is the world Jesus came to give us.

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:

Israel needs a new king, and God has asked Samuel the prophet to appoint the new king for Him. Guess where God led Samuel to to find the new king – Bethlehem! This is what happens in Bethlehem when Samuel finally arrived …

 

Verses: 1 Samuel 16:5-7, 11-12

 ⁵Samuel answered, “Yes, I come in peace. I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Set yourselves apart to the Lord and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he set Jesse and his sons apart to the Lord, and he invited them to come to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and he thought, “Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

¹¹ Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse answered, “I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

¹² So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was a fine boy, tanned, and handsome. The Lord said to Samuel, “Go, appoint him, because he is the one.” ¹³ So Samuel took the container of olive oil and poured it on Jesse’s youngest son to appoint him in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Lord’s Spirit worked in David. Samuel then went back to Ramah.

 

• This is how the Lord selected the great King David! David goes down as one of the greatest kings in Jewish history, and guess where he was from? A little town in Bethlehem. It sure is not a coincidence. God was trying to fore-shadow where the King of all kings – Jesus Christ, would eventually be born.

 

• When he was appointed, David did not stand out in any way, he was just a lowly shepherd boy, and even his father didn’t think much of him. However in the eyes of God, David was precious and deeply loved. The same goes to every one of us. How do we feel about ourselves? We may not stand out among our peers, in our class, among our friends, at our company … but to God every one of us is his precious son / daughter. And for that very reason He gives us Jesus Christ in this season so that we can be re-united with him as an eternal family in heaven!

 

• Eliab was tall and handsome and he was the eldest son, but God says “God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” In an artificial world where appearance is everything, God looks at our heart! Thank you God, for knowing me for who I am, and looking at my heart!

 

• God looks at our heart and he wants us to look at the inner beauty of other people too! How do we perceive people around us? Do we also look at their hearts? Or do we ‘judge the book by its cover’ and perceive people by exterior factors like physical appearance, wealth, cars they drive, clothes they wear, etc.? Let’s be more like God and start to see people for who they are inside, not outside!

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 has led Joshua and the Israelites to seize the land of Canaan. But the Canaanites had bigger and stronger army than the Israelites. They also had fortress to protect them, the strongest of which was the Jericho city. Jericho city was well known for its strong city walls which would give the Israelites no chance to penetrate. Before crossing the Jordan river, Joshua sent 2 spies to scout the city of Jericho. Unfortunately the Jericho king heard about this and asked Rahab to bring the spies to him…

 

Verses: Joshua 2:1-14

¹ Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out two spies from Acacia and said to them, “Go and look at the land, particularly at the city of Jericho.”

So the men went to Jericho and stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.

² Someone told the king of Jericho, “Some men from Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.”

³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house. They have come to spy out our whole land.”

⁴ But the woman had hidden the two men. She said, “They did come here, but I didn’t know where they came from. ⁵ In the evening, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know where they went, but if you go quickly, maybe you can catch them.” ⁶ (The woman had taken the men up to the roof^[a] and had hidden them there under stalks of flax that she had spread out.) ⁷ So the king’s men went out looking for the spies on the road that leads to the crossings of the Jordan River. The city gate was closed just after the king’s men left the city.

⁸ Before the spies went to sleep for the night, Rahab went up to the roof. ⁹ She said to them, “I know the Lord has given this land to your people. You frighten us very much. Everyone living in this land is terribly afraid of you ¹⁰ because we have heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt. We have heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, two Amorite kings who lived east of the Jordan. ¹¹ When we heard this, we were very frightened. Now our men are afraid to fight you because the Lord your God rules the heavens above and the earth below! ¹² So now, promise me before the Lord that you will show kindness to my family just as I showed kindness to you. Give me some proof that you will do this. ¹³ Allow my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all of their families to live. Save us from death.”

¹⁴ The men agreed and said, “It will be our lives for your lives if you don’t tell anyone what we are doing. When the Lord gives us the land, we will be kind and true to you.”

 

• The Israelites were a bunch of hungry, weak slaves who have spent the last 40 years wandering in the desert. The Canaanites were big and strong and well protected behind the fortress walls of Jericho. Yet, when the Jericho king asked Rahab to expose the spies, she took her chance, and decided to side with the Israelites and help the spies escape – all because she had heard what the God has done for the Israelites. Have you heard of the great wonders God has done? Through testimony of people around you, or testimony of people you don’t know? Have these testimonies helped build your faith?

 

• Rahab had a shady past, as a young girl looking for love in all the wrong places, she obviously had made many wrong decisions in her life to end up as a prostitute living on the city wall – the outskirt of the city. Her future looked bleak. Yet, God didn’t look at Rahab’s past and deemed her unworthy to be part of His big plan. Instead, God looked upon her faith in Him. Have we made mistakes in the past that we’re not proud of?

 

• This is the reason for the Christmas season– because a savior has been given to us, who forgives all our past sins and accepts us into God’s kingdom! Tonight pray and share with God. He is kind and he is willing to listen.

 

•  In Matthew 1 it is written: “This is the family history of Jesus Christ … Abraham was the father of Issac. Issac was the father of Jacob … Salmon was the father of Boza (Boaz’s mother was Rahab) … Jacob was the father of Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus. Jesus is called the Christ.” The Bible reveals Rahab later on married Salmon, who was 1 of the 2 spies and was a prince from the house of Judah. When God gave Rahab a second chance, she took it and God greatly blessed her. Not only she had a husband and a family, her name is even written down in the line of family of Jesus! What kind of second chance has God given you after you’ve got to know him? Are you willing to make good use of the chance given and be blessed with it?

 

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 2^nd 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.

 

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 7^th 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.

 

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

 

³Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. ⁴For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.  ⁵Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lorddelivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. ⁷In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.  ⁸In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.

 

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: Jude wrote an urgent warning against those who were already introducing false teaching into the churches.  God will punish those who turn from Christ and godliness, but preserve those who keep themselves in His love.
2. Some things in life are relative. One prefers green, the other prefers blue. One like popcorn, the other likes potato chips. But truth is different.  It is absolute, remains fixed and sure despite human preferences. Contending for truth (v3) doesn’t mean being hostile. But it does mean making sure people realize that truth isn’t a matter of preference.
3. Jude, as did Peter and Paul, wrote two identifying marks of the false teachers: (1) they deny Jesus Christ, making Him out to be less than God, (2) they twist that grace which frees us from the grip of sin into a license for sin.  God will certainly punish the false teachers who share the spiritual and moral depravity exhibited by the Exodus generation, by fallen angels, and by the depraved communities of Sodom and Gomorrah (vv5-7).
4. What errors in faith and life do you see as subtle dangers to today’s Christians? How can you protect yourself, and other believers whose lives you touch, from falling into these errors?  Pray that you and your church would be protected from false religion.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the  “Spiritual Journal” book.

 

Proverbs for Today 30:5-6

⁵ Every word of God proves true;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
⁶ Do not add to his words,
    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

 

¹ The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

² Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.³ For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

⁵Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. ⁶They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. ⁷It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. ⁸We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.

 

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: John wrote to Gaius to encourage him to keep on ministry, to warn against Diotrephes and to commend Demetrius.
2. Read the passage carefully as if John is writing specifically to me.
3. What opportunity have you had recently to show someone hospitality? Or in some way help someone who is trying to do good?  How did you respond to that opportunity?  What do you notice about the motives and priorities behind your action (or non-action)?
4. Think about some gifts you can offer to others (such as cooking, listening ear, words of encouragement.)  Write them down and go through the list with God. Determine which gifts you are glad to share, and which ones you are hesitant. Now think of a specific person who would be helped by your hospitality.  Ask God what He would have you offer to this person.  Be open to take this small step toward hospitality, and see how God may change your heart as you do it.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the  “Spiritual Journal” book.

 

Proverbs for Today 30:1-4

¹ The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.

The man declares, I am weary, O God;
    I am weary, O God, and worn out.
² Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
    I have not the understanding of a man.
³ I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
⁴ Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
    Surely you know!