25 Days of Advent - Dec 3
What a busy week at church! We hosted a blood drive, had all the carpets cleaned, had a new furnace installed, decorated for Christmas and attended a funeral for a friend.
Today’s verses remind me of the strength and comfort that believers have in Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 40:1-5 – 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD ; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Jesus provides comfort. We should do the same as much as we are capable. There is no comfort comparable to the Holy Spirit’s ministering to our lives, but we are called to comfort each other when possible.
Jesus speaks tenderly. I need this reminder constantly. The tender voice is a caring voice. The tender voice spills compassion into another person. The tender voice projects love. People aren’t always good at speaking tenderly. I am not always good at speaking tenderly. The end of our text says, “and the glory of God will be revealed”. My personal application is that speaking tenderly to other people (even when I don’t want to) reveals the glory of God.
WHERE ARE THE IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK TENDERLY INTO ANOTHER LIFE TODAY?
Jesus paid for sin. There are times when we treat people like they need to pay for a wrong action that Jesus already paid for and has forgiven. Read that line again. The thing you are bitter about has already been paid for!
Jesus balances life struggles. Read verse 4. Every valley will be raised. Every mountain and hill will be lowered. Rough ground becomes level. Rugged land becomes a plain. Let’s be honest – Jesus doesn’t cause all of our struggles. Some are tests. Some are natural consequences of our sin. Jesus speaks tenderly into our life while he comforts us. Our awareness that Jesus is greater than any struggle balances the hills and valleys of life.
WHEN WE REST IN JESUS, THE GLORY OF GOD IS REVEALED.
Christmas is about revealing the glory of God to those around us. I encourage you to look for ways to reveal God’s glory to other people today.