Words of Advent, Part II

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I am really enjoying focusing more on the advent of Christ this Christmas season.

Earlier in December, I shared my project Words of Advent.  Reading the devotional seems to get my thoughts moving in the right direction each morning.  Sharing what I'm learning with the girls during our morning Bible time makes it even more special.  Now they sometimes try to guess what the word is when I read the Scripture passage for the day!

I wanted to share a few more of the words we have studied in the last week.

• Purpose.  God's purpose for Jesus was Calvary.  Every event in His life -including the birth in a stable in Bethlehem - led Him to that destiny.  So God has a purpose for each one of us to fulfill.  We can trust Him as He leads and works in our lives.
• Shadows.  The Old Testament system of priests and animal sacrifices was a shadow of the real thing that was to come.  Christ came to remove the shadows; He is the real, atoning sacrifice for our sin.
• Life.  In John 10:10b, Jesus tells us why He came.  "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."  He came to bring life - life eternal and abundant life in the here and now.
• Gifts.  The wise men brought gifts worthy of a king - gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Surely this was an act of worship, humility, and love.  Yet it reminds me that no material possessions can ever bring true satisfaction.  That comes only through my relationship with Christ.

I'm so excited about an idea I'm going to share on Monday! It's a neat way to really bring the best gift of all into focus during this season.

Hoping you're able to take some time to meditate on the real meaning of Christmas in the coming week.