“𝗛𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗷𝗮𝗵, 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱.” —𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝟭:𝟭𝟲–𝟭𝟳

That you might be prepared…

𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙧. Christmas is an indictment before it becomes a delight. It will not have its intended effect until we feel desperately the need for a Savior. Let these short Advent meditations help awaken in you a bittersweet sense of need for the Savior.

𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙, 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.. Advent is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24) Let every heart prepare him room… by cleaning house.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙙-𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚—𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣. If you are excited about Christ, they will be too. If you can only make Christmas exciting with material things, how will the children get a thirst for God? Bend the efforts of your imagination to make the wonder of the King’s arrival visible for the children.

𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝, 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨! “Is not my word like fire, says the Lord!” (Jeremiah 23:29) Gather ‘round that fire this Advent season. It is warm. It is sparkling with colors of grace. It is healing for a thousand hurts. It is light for dark nights.

SOURCE: Taken from Good News of Great Joy (Daily Readings for Advent) by John Piper. © 2013