Today’s Devotional is offered by Steve Timberlake.

Of all the things we long for, I believe peace finds itself close to the top. Looking around us, we see little signs of peace while the stories that are “trending or breaking” from the news media offer little hope of peace. Often looking for peace in the busyness of our lives leads us to submit to life without peace.

We sometimes think that to have peace all our problems and struggles need to go away, and everyone learns to get along. This is not a bad thought, but maybe this is looking in the wrong direction for peace.

For me, peace comes when I settle down, take a few deep breaths and reflect on God’s goodness, His mercy, and His gift of salvation through His Son Jesus. Then peace comes. Oh yes, life’s circumstances are still difficult, but they can’t rob me of God’s gift of peace.
In this season of Advent may we all unwrap God’s Gift of peace.

From John 14: 27 “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
To quote my Latin teacher “Pax vobiscum”!

Today’s Devotional is offered by Ruth Finch

For unto us a child is born: Unto us a son is given: And the government shall be on
His shoulder: And His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and Peace there shall be no end.
-Isaiah 9: 6, 7

In the scripture from Isiah announcing the birth of the baby Jesus, He is called the Prince of Peace. What does that mean to us at this Christmas season? Are we all aglow with the thought of a sweet little peaceful baby? What does this life of peace mean for us?

If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, then I wonder if we are called to be the peacemakers? Are we to love ourselves, to give up unkind words, and violent tempers? Can we accept and celebrate the difference in others? Can we actively engage in making Christ’s peace for the world around us?

Peacemaking was Jesus’ Lifestyle. He worked for things that made peace. If we embody the actions of Christ by following in His footsteps, then His work of peacemaking is now ours. In so doing, we will make a difference. The birth of the Prince of Peace can truly be celebrated at this Joyous Advent Season as we make Peacemaking our watchword.

 

Today’s Devotional is offered by Darcy Drake

“Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”
– John 14:27

What is Peace? Peace can be thought of in many ways:
the peace after a war is over;
the peace felt when suffering ends;
peace when you leave a loud room and enter a quiet solitude;
the absence of trouble;
that feeling when you finally put the kids in bed to sleep (you know what I’m talking about!).

I admit, I never really thought much about peace in the Bible, so I looked it up. What I found provided a blanket of peace to cover and lead me. So, if you are reading this, I hope you will find assurance in knowing there is more to Peace than merely the absence of trouble or noise.

The source of peace is Christ and peace comes from the Holy Spirit. Once we receive Jesus as our Savior, we can have the peace that our sins are forgiven. Then, the Holy Spirit is present to remind us and instill in us that same experience of peace, over and over, IF we let it. If we remember AND trust this promise then no matter what the external circumstance are (severe hardships or just the simple anxiety of the season’s chaos), we can breathe deeply and calmly knowing that no matter what, God’s got this!

This helps me see peace all around me, especially during this joy-filled, fast-paced, chaotic Christmas season. When we can remember and trust Christ’s peace, we can experience the joy of this season more deeply and thoroughly. So take a breath, pray, and trust for the peace to be with you.

One last very helpful thing (for me) I wanted to share, is this passage I found while reading “The Gift of Peace,” by John MacArthur.

“Do you have a problem, or a decision to make? Let the peace of Christ make that decision for you. If you have examined a planned action in the light of God’s Word—and His Word does not forbid you from going ahead with it—if you can do it and retain the peace of Christ in your heart, then do it with the confidence it is God’s will. But if you find you do not have a sense of peace and God’s blessing about it, don’t do it.

Don’t try to rationalize about your decision; you may find it makes good sense from the rational point of view. But will it rob your soul of rest and peace? Do you have a sense of confidence that God is in this? If you don’t have peace, it is probably the wrong thing to do. Let Christ’s peace be the umpire that makes the calls.”

May God’s Peace be with you always. Amen.

Today’s Devotional is Offered by Marsha Garrett

“I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the
world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27. (NLT)

With the birth of Christ came the gift of peace. Isaiah says Jesus is the prince of
peace and the giver of peace. “My peace I give to you,” Jesus told his disciples.

Galatians 5: 22 assures us that the Holy Spirit gives peace as a gift.
And peace can also be defined as harmony, calmness, and order.

The Jewish word for peace or peace unto you is Shalom. The word shalom was used often by a former missionary and pastor, Rev. Troy Bennett, a dear friend of ours, to greet individuals and the Spilman congregation. Each time I hear the word shalom used, it brings back many memories of Rev. Bennett and especially those of Christmas services that he led.

Christmas should be a time of peace and the most wonderful time of the year, but this is not always the case for many people. Peace is disrupted by worldly circumstances, such as death, loneliness, difficult family times, war, and more. We have had a few  Christmases that were not so joyful, like when our children or family members were sick during the Christmas Season and the two Christmases that our son and daughter-in-law served in Iraq in war and away from family. Those Christmases definitely did not feel like ones of peace, tranquility, nor celebration and they are not fond memories for our family members.

So how do we find peace in the midst of such times?
For us, it was and is through the support of our family, our Oxford Baptist Church family, and friends…and far beyond that, it was and still is, God’s presence and peace through the Holy Spirit that allows us to go about our daily tasks during difficult times. It is through the worship of the birth of Christ, knowing Christ as one’s personal Saviour, and through the Holy Spirit that peace is given.

The peace of Christmas came the night of Christ’s birth and the promise declared by the angels, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.” In the midst of trials and struggles, may each of us look to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit to experience His gifts of peace and eternal life that He freely gives us all.

Shalom, peace be unto you!
Amen

Today’s Devotional is offered by Susan Satterwhite. 

December. 4 kids. Full-time job. Gifts. Parties. Events. Decorations. Cookies. Basketball games. Piano practice. Dance practice. Horse practice. Parades. Birthdays. Shows. Did I say parties? Santa. Elves. Charity events. The list goes on and on. Peace? Not much peacefulness found in all of that…

Then the daily sadness that hits you in the face… Sickness. Poverty. Financial stress. Hunger. Natural disasters. Failed marriages. Troubled teens. Whiny toddlers. Unhappy students. Rocky relationships. Work deadlines. This list goes on and on too. And if there was any peace before this sadness, it is now completely gone.

In a world of high demands and constant struggles, there is only one source of peace. Peace in knowing Jesus. Peace in knowing that no matter how stressful life can be our destination is with Jesus. Each day when we face life’s demands and sadness, we must turn to Jesus to bring us peace.

During the Advent season, we are reminded more and more of the peace we have in knowing Jesus through scripture, hymns, traditions, and celebrations. It is through the birth of Jesus that God gave us this peace we need to endure the daily struggles and sadness here on Earth. Even though our days are full and the stress is high, we rely on these events and traditions to remind us that God is here for us and peace will be within us when we turn to God.
My daily prayer is that I graciously receive all that God has given me. When we receive the peace that Jesus gives us, we can, in turn, give to others. It is the peace of Jesus that helps me push forward as a mother, teacher, wife, sister, daughter, and friend. Without his peace, I would feel defeated.
Each night when the day has been one battle after another, I turn to Jesus and ask for forgiveness for all the times I fall short each day. His forgiveness gives me the peace that I need to push forward and face a new day. His peace allows me to feel content when things don’t go as I would like or when I feel like I’ve given all I have to give. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus that we can all find peace during this advent season and throughout the year. We must open our hearts to receive the blessings Jesus has given us, and we will surely find peace no matter what demands and stressors we face each day.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7

Today’s Devotional is offered by Dennis Herman

It was Christmas Eve decades ago and the Hermans were in Barranquilla, Colombia, with our two-year-old son. We had arrived a week previously for my missionary assignment as chaplain of the Baptist Hospital. While being on the Caribbean coast may sound delightful, it was quite oppressive with the humidity making it feel more like a muggy North Carolina evening in August! We were temporarily housed in a small apartment on the third floor with no air conditioning. One of our colleagues had thoughtfully hung a decorative woven tree on the wall (no live trees in that heat).
Outside, the Christmas Eve was filled with fireworks; rockets and cherry bombs exploded to shake us from any sense of a “silent night.” All was not calm, but it was bright with the cluster fireworks! Salsa bands blared out their danceable tunes till the wee hours of the morning. We were not happy that our two-year-old could not sleep in the noise of the night! To add to the strangeness of the night, drug Lords and terrorism lurked in every corner and crevice of the Colombia society.

It was not the Christmas Eve we really wanted. We missed the family in North Carolina. We wanted snow and mistletoe, not tropical heat and exploding rockets. We wanted some peace, not dancing in the streets. And we wanted a place of safety, not a place where the drug mafias were constantly warring, causing terror and insecurity in the hearts of the citizens.

In the midst of all the fear, chaos, and culture shock we were feeling, there came to mind that beautiful hymn whose words are accredited to St. Francis:
“…with God as our Father, brothers all are we
Let there be peace on earth; and let it begin with me.”

I wanted a peace-filled Christmas. Obviously, it would not come in the trappings of a woven tree hanging on the wall or the blare of a dance band or dancing in the streets. It would certainly not come in the message of fear from terrorists and mafia groups. If I wanted peace and goodwill, it would have to start within me and inform all whose lives my life touched. Maybe, even in some small way, that would make a difference.

Prayer: Let there be peace on earth, O God, and let it begin with me. In my heart, in my home, in my Church and community, in my world, in all that I am and all that I do, may I be Your instrument of peace, through Christ I pray. Amen.

Today’s Devotional is Offered by Ann Timberlake 

What do you want for Christmas?

Growing up hope was something I did a lot, especially around Christmas. I hoped for Barbie dolls, kitchen sets, roller skates, Monopoly, and countless other games and toys. Of course, as a teenage girl, I hoped for clothes.

One Christmas that stands out most vividly in my memory was the Christmas of 1958. My dad was military and our family was stationed in Germany. The two things I hoped for the most appeared under the tree that year…a bike and a sled. What a thrill that Christmas morning to run into the living room and see the longest sled I had ever seen alongside my new black shiny bike, complete with hand breaks. My wish had come true!

Many years later, hope grew from being a verb into a noun because it is something Jesus gives to us. The Hope of Jesus is not merely a granted wish. It’s greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on God who loves us unbelievably. It is not something we can see or put our hands on but it is a part of us, and we feel it! Hope is a gift from God!

A verse from the Christmas carol O Holy Night says, “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…” Christ’s coming into the world offers us Hope. Hope that is a light in the darkness which can break through the distractions of December and fill us with the joy of Christmas.

Romans 15:13 says, ‘Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” May this be our prayer as we seek to receive Jesus’ hope anew this year.

Today’s Devotional is offered by Kyle Yarbrough

Life is a wild, strenuous, and sometimes unforgiving journey. It pulls you in one direction, then another, and sometimes it just stops leaving us wondering what is next. Sometimes it leaves you wanting more and sometimes you can’t take it anymore.

When this happens, remember that God will never give you more than He knows you can handle. This does not mean that He will not challenge you. The challenge may be a way of preparing you for the next path on your journey. When you begin thinking why is this happening or what is the reason remember Jeremiah 29:11
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’”

and Psalm 31:24
‘Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.’

This hope will give you confidence that God will fulfill his promises. Promises that began during the Christmas season with the birth of Jesus are personified in John 14:6 when Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”, and are fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to end sinful death for those who believe.

Remember that these promises are alive and fulfilled for all times which will fill you with the hope that God will take care of you!

Today’s devotional is offered by Mary Kathryn Washington
December 6, 2018

Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.
– Habakkuk 3.17-19

This year I have had a difficult time deciding what to write about for this devotional.
Since we begin this Advent season with a focus on hope, I stumbled upon the deep hope the prophet Habakkuk yearned for when he questioned God on why there was so much violence and corruption (as an aside…I embarrassingly didn’t realize Habakkuk had a book in the Bible until recently).

I thought about 1st Corinthians 13:12-13 that discusses faith, hope, and love:
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

However, at this year’s Hanging of the Greens service, while Cindy Joy and Haven Parrott played the “Lords Prayer”, with the candle flame radiating on my face, and the Chrismon tree shining brightly in front of me, I closed my eyes and felt the hope—The expectation and desire of something to happen. I felt the hope of what heaven will be like without worries while we are covered in peace. I felt the assurance of God’s presence and it was filled with hope.

These days, the world can throw so many curveballs our way, evil people still exist, and new diseases are discovered daily. In the midst of all of this, we must always remember the hope that comes from God; the confident expectation that God is with us will still be with us and will lead us home.

“…for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

Today’s devotional is offered by Susan Crews

It’s here…Advent!
And we begin the season focusing on HOPE.

Truthfully, we hope for things all throughout the year. We hope to be successful. We hope to lose weight. We hope to be healthy. We hope our team wins the big game. We hope for friends. We hope for eternity.

Unfortunately, sometimes hope lacks certainty and can just feel like a wish. Wishing for something to happen with no way of knowing how it is going to turn out. And many times life is disappointing causing us to lose hope and replace it with discouragement, frustrations, and hopelessness.

When Jesus was born the Israelites were in a period of time when things seemed hopeless. Centuries earlier they were promised a king that would come and rescue them from their oppression. Being under the rule of the pagan Roman Empire living by many religious laws was tough and kept the Israelites oppressed.

Then this little baby was born in a manger and sent to earth to bring them hope. The baby came bringing an eternal hope. He brought hope that their sins would be forgiven. Hope that there were things far greater than the problems on earth.

The baby brought spiritual hope. Hope that is embedded in the faith of things not seen, but have been promised by God. And it is because of this hope we rejoice Jesus came to give us something far better than the disappointments of earthly life. We rejoice in the hope and promise of things God gives…the forgiveness of sin, His daily presence in our lives and the many good things he has promised.

May you find peace and joy in the hope Jesus brings today, tomorrow and always.