Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Good News of Great Joy For All People
Isaiah 52:7-10
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” t made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Dear God, we thank You for the good news! We are so glad to know about Jesus coming into our world to save all who believe in Him. Help us to tell others about Jesus, too. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
- What do I learn about God? Look for God’s character, conduct, concerns.
- What do I learn about people? Think through what the passage reveals about your identity as an image-bearer. Think about our fallen condition. Look for how we should live.
- What do we learn about relating to God? Look for things to praise and thank Him for. Look for promises and truths to believe.
- What do I learn about relating to others? Look for how we should interact with and treat others. Look for ways to pursue reconciliation with others. Look for specific ways to love, serve, and care for others.
Application:
As you look to the advent of Christ Jesus, what does God want you to understand and think?