Pocket Thoughts - 12/12/25

Special Advent Edition

God * was willing through His Son Jesus to leave the glory of heaven and dwell among us * put His great rescue plan into motion before the beginning of time * desires that we know Him more deeply through our study of His Word.

*****

“The King of the universe is not a tyrannical leader. He’s the Savior of the world. The Christmas story isn’t old news. It’s good news. It’s now news! Salvation is not just an addendum to the end of your life, and Christmas isn’t just a quaint little story. When Jesus was born, God’s kingdom came to earth! Don’t let another moment pass by without giving God the glory He deserves. He sent His Son to die in your place. Celebrate with joy. Give meaningful gifts to those you love. Help the poor. And enjoy a good party. But refuse to let the commercialism of Christmas quench the true spirit of this earth-shaking holiday. Jesus came, and He’s coming again. Oh, worship the King of Glory, for He has done great things.” – Susie Larson, Prepare Him Room

*****

“The truth of the matter is this: Christmas can be a difficult time of year and can pass us by in a blur. This is why I think we can do nothing better than take a long, profound look at the account. We need an intimate look at the birth of Jesus. It can only benefit us to ask, ‘What does God have to say to me about all this right now?’…It makes a tremendous difference in your Bible reading when you realize that God has a message He wants you to receive. You are not simply learning facts or being entertained with a story. You are interacting with your living Savior, Who ‘emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant’ (Philippians 2:7) so you can have a relationship with Him. This is what the Christmas story is all about.” – Charles Stanley, The Gift of Jesus

*****

“It is easy to look at the first Christmas…as though the story starts on the first page of the New Testament, with an angel suddenly showing up to a girl in Galilee. But the Bible is a two-act drama, and to start at the Gospels is to join at the interval. No, God’s preparations for the moment when this earth would receive its King started where John’s Gospel does: not with angels and wise men, but ‘In the beginning’ – in fact from before the beginning. From eternity past God planned to send His Son so that we might have life with Him for eternity future…The King of creation has walked on this earth, in history. And this earth will receive its King once again, this time arriving not as an unheralded baby but coming gloriously, unmistakably, on the clouds of heaven. Children, of course, spend Advent looking forward to Christmas Day. We are invited to look beyond that, and to a far greater day – the day Jesus returns.” – Alistair Begg, Let Earth Receive Her King

*****

“…The entire redemptive story hinges on one thing – the eternal willingness of Jesus. Without His willingness, you and I would be without hope and without God. Without His willingness, we would be left with the power and curse of sin. Without His willingness, we would be eternally damned. During this season of celebrating, don’t forget to stop and celebrate your Savior’s willingness. His willingness is your hope in life, death, and eternity…The Advent story reminds us that our past, present, and future hope rest not on our willingness, but on the willingness of the One for Whom the angels sang, the shepherds worshiped, and the magi searched. Willing Jesus is the only hope for unwilling sinners!” – Paul David Tripp, Come Let Us Adore Him

*****

Father, I confess that in much of the comings and goings, prepping and doing, I’ve left You out of this precious, beautiful Advent season. Even still, quiet morning is Your holy invitation for me to come and rest in Your arms. Like a toddler, I can’t sit still for long and often squirm out of Your embrace to move on to the next thing or my over-crowded to-do list. Lord, will You please forgive me? Help me, Father, to melt into Your open arms, breathe again, empty the pockets of my mind to make room for Your peace. Give me fresh vision for the meaning of Advent as lights sparkle, songs speak Your Name, and the nativity draws me in. Jesus came for all, but Jesus also came for me. Let that be the driver of my priorities and commitments over the next several days. No rushing allowed – just a slow, thorough search for my Savior in all things. “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) Thank You, Jesus. In Your beautiful Name, amen.

*****

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call Him Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus.” – Matthew 1:18-25