Our Gift-Giving God: A Devotional
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Our Gift-Giving God: A Devotional
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Overview
Has Christmas gotten to be just the same old, same old? Do you feel as if you’re simply going through the motions, even though you know this should be a season of celebration and worship? Same tree, same Christmas songs, same baked goods.
Come and refresh your hope in Christmas through Our Gift-Giving God. This devotional will take the reader through the traditions and symbols of Christmastime and uncover the deep, gospel truths woven throughout that God has for each and every one of us. Throughout these chapters, you will discover:
In this eight-day study, you can unwrap the very best gifts and the best news you’ll receive all year. Spend time opening the gifts only our gift-giving God can deliver.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781632962560 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Lucid Books |
| Publication date: | 11/19/2018 |
| Pages: | 120 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.33(d) |
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Gift #1: Firmly planted, fed, and fruitful
* * *
Luke 2, Isaiah 61:1–3,10, Psalm 1, Psalm 52
Christmas trees, like most traditions, have a colorful past. Before the first Christmas in a manger, people decorated with evergreens at the winter solstice. The solstice, December 21 or 22, the day with the shortest daylight and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere, is very near the date we celebrate Christmas. The evergreen decorations symbolized life and hope, and in some cultures, evergreens themselves were worshipped. Yes, tree worship. In other cultures, greenery represented the return or rejuvenation of their god, a sun god for the Egyptians or an agriculture god for the early Romans. For some, the greenery was believed to scare away demons. Evergreen branches were also symbols of everlasting life.
The Christmas tree tradition we know now started in Germany during the 1500s. It is generally believed that Martin Luther, a Protestant reformer of that day, first added lighted candles to a tree to recreate the inspirational scene of the Creator's handiwork of stars among the evergreen trees that Luther found beautiful. In the United States, however, this tradition did not easily take hold, as American Christians associated the trees with pagan tradition well into the 1800s. In some places, they were illegal, a prohibited heathen tradition. But when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Germany adopted the Christmas tree, it caught on as the fashion on the US East Coast and has since been part of the Christmas tradition in not only the United States but also in many countries.
* * *
The Lord has use for a tree as a symbol in our lives. As you set up your tree or sit by it, read about its deeper significance.
* * *
Some 700 years before the first Christmas, Isaiah wrote down Jesus's mission statement:
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor, and the day of our God's vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him (Isa. 61:1–3).
Later on and just a few chapters after the Christmas story in Luke 2, Jesus personally read Isaiah 61:1–2 in his local synagogue in Nazareth and proclaimed He had fulfilled the prophecy (Luke 4:17–21). Jesus came with all the wisdom and power of the Father and the Spirit — anointed, chosen, to bring good news to those in distress. At Christmas, God, the very best Gift-Giver, delivered Jesus, whom He calls the Word (John 1:1), the good news, the gospel promise-keeper. Jesus's mission statement in Isaiah 61 shines a light on just how good that news really is. His mission statement had five points, just like the star on the top of your tree:
1. He was sent to heal the brokenhearted — those who have lost hope, broken by their brokenness, broken by the broken world (Isa. 61:1).
2. He was sent to proclaim freedom to captives and prisoners — those enslaved by their own sin, by the sin of others, bound by a person (captive), place (prisoner), or circumstance (Isa. 61:1, Rom. 6:5–10).
3. He came to announce a long period of blessing (a period in which people could experience salvation) and only a short time of vengeance (a period of tribulation) — a year of favor versus a day of vengeance (Isa. 61:2).
4. He came to comfort all who mourn. Mourners grieve over a death. He came to comfort those anticipating the death they had earned with their sins (Rom. 3:23). "'Comfort, comfort my people,' says your God. 'Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and announce to her that her time of forced labor is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins'" (Isa. 40:1–2, emphasis added).
5. He came to do a major wardrobe change. To replace the ashes, mourning, and despair of the lives of the broken with festive oil, a crown of beauty, and splendid clothes. Olive oil, used during festive occasions and as a treatment for an honored guest at a banquet (Luke 7:45–46). Acrown of beauty, like a bride adorned in jewels (Isa. 61:10). And splendid clothes of righteousness replacing our filthy rags of self- righteousness (Isa. 64:6, 61:10, Zech. 3:4).
And then, the finale, the show-stopper, the point when God changes our identity from broken mourners, imprisoned in our sin and despair, into something very different. He says that those who were poor in spirit, mourning their sin and situation, who will accept the wardrobe change from self-earned righteousness to Jesus-given righteousness — they will be called ... that's right, trees. "Righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him" (Isa. 61:3). Some translations call them oaks of righteousness.
This is not a grocery store tree popped into a plastic tree stand that squeezes it into upright position by the screws of a vice. This is not a tree planted with stakes in the ground, tied down in hopes it'll grow and not fall over. And this certainly isn't a plastic tree pulled out of a box and assembled only to be stuffed back inside the box in the new year. Planted by the gospel in His grace, we're not fake or temporarily propped up by the holiday and a little hope. We have permanent, unfailing, sturdy roots.
We're a tree planted by none other than the One who created trees and knows how best to plant them. When we place our faith in the truly spectacular good news of Christmas, God plants us firmly in the grace, peace, and strength of His presence. The good news of the gospel is that although we were far more steeped in enslaving sin than we'll ever understand, we're far more loved and treasured by our righteous Savior than we could ever have hoped for. So much so that He came to live perfectly — because we can't — and take on the full wrath of God — so we wouldn't have to. The gospel is ushered in by Christmas and completed by Easter, but it lasts forever. God plants us to be purposeful and fruitful. He plants us to show off His grace and creation for His glory.
Not only that, but when we keep our roots tapped into Christ, we become a tree worth talking about. Psalm 1 says that when we attune our minds and hearts to the Lord rather than following the advice or example of the world, and we choose not to stick with knocking-down words but to delight in His building-up Word, we will be like a tree that is:
1. Firmly planted – We won't be blown around easily by the whims of the world and circumstances. "He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken" (Ps. 62:6).
2. Fed – Like a tree strategically planted by plentiful streams of water, we'll never be without the things we need for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).
3. Fruitful – We'll be perfectly fruitful. That is, we bear the fruit we're meant to bear in the time we're meant to bear it, and we will continue to grow. Not to drop brown needles or get sent to the chipper, but to mature and be a source of life and comfort to others.
In Psalm 52, the psalmist shows us that if we'll put our full trust not in wealth, lies, or manipulation but in the unfailing love of God, we can be like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God. Like an olive tree, we can produce the oil of gladness for eternal Kingdom celebrations today, on Christmas, and for every day to come.
Firmly Planted, Fed, and Fruitful: Gift #1 Summary and Scripture
Summary
The gospel allows us to overcome the shifting sands of pride or despair as we try to hold others to our flawed standards or meet others' standards. In the gospel, we're rooted in the stable sod of His grace — plentiful, life- giving, fruit-making soil. Apart from God, we're cursed, dirty ground, but with Him, we're free to be fruitful, free from comparison and flawed judgment (ours and others), free to be like a tree — not like the one cut down and popped in water for December and thrown away, but like one rooted for eternity.
Isaiah 61:1–3
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of our God's vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him.
Luke 4:17–21
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:
18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, "Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled."
Romans 6:5–10
5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Isaiah 40:1–2
1 "Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. 2 "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of forced labor is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins."
Isaiah 64:6
6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
Zechariah 3:4
4 So the angel of the LORD spoke to those standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes!" Then he said to him, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with festive robes."
Isaiah 61:10
10 I rejoice greatly in the LORD, I exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Psalm 1
1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!
2 Instead, his delight is in the LORD's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
Psalm 62:6
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
2 Peter 1:3
3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Psalm 52:8–9
8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God's faithful love forever and ever.
9 I will praise you forever for what you have done. In the presence of your faithful people, I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.
John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Luke 2:1-20
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!
15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
Firmly Planted, Fed, and Fruitful: Gift #1 Reflection and Prayer
Reflection Questions
1. Firmly Planted: Recall a time when you felt the people around you or your circumstances were blowing you in one direction and then another, changing your mind, your peace, and your stability. How might that experience have been different if you had trusted that you're like a tree deeply rooted in God's grace for eternity, and your future can't be uprooted?
2. Fed: Ever been super thirsty with no drink in sight? Thirst can consume you until it is quenched. It can interfere with thinking clearly and sap your energy. Our access to Christ is like a tree's roots having permanent access to streams of water. When we spend time with Him in prayer, read His Word, and trust Him day by day, we reach out to the water source. Ponder how your life and relationship with the Lord might look like thirst (a distracted, exhausted state dying for the Lord's graceful presence) or like abundant streams (overflowing to others what He's pouring into you).
But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water spinging up in him for eternal life (John 4:14).
3. Fruitful: For an actual tree to bear fruit, during its first few years the blossoms or fruit have to be snipped off so the nutrients go down to grow the roots instead of up to fill the fruit. Is the Lord pruning you to grow your roots so they reach deeper into Christ? How do you see your life bearing the fruit of love for others, especially the hard-to-love, tough nuts?
Prayer
Father, I place all my trust and hope in the great news of the gospel message that Christ was not just born a gift but died taking the full force of Your righteous judgment for all sin and was resurrected a fully-accepted sacrifice. Help me to celebrate the radical wardrobe change Jesus provided and to be deeply rooted in Your Word, Your love letter, so I can enjoy the beautiful gift You have given me of being firmly planted, fed, and fruitful.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Our Gift-Giving God"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Andrea Levin Kim.
Excerpted by permission of Lucid Books Publishing.
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