If you’re joining me on this Advent journey, then today is day 1. And I’m WAY excited! Well, mostly excited. I did have to confess places in my heart that get tangled with “the approval of man” as I wonder if people (a.k.a. you) will like the study I wrote. And God graciously, quickly reminded me that this (like most everything else on planet earth) isn’t about me. And then I praised Him because He’s so good. So good.

 

 

Also, after I confessed my fleshliness, God prompted to pray for you. Because I believe that by God’s absolute grace He is willing and ready to do something new and fresh in us this Advent season. So I’m asking Him to move powerfully in each of us, that we would walk into Christmas morning with greater freedom and unspeakable awe at the love of God displayed in the Lord Jesus. May it be so.

Lastly, I wanted to give you a quick word of encouragement. And it begins with a story of an app. {Insert dramatic music here.}

I (sometimes) use an app called “my fitness pal” to keep me accountable to healthier eating and consistent exercise. It’s an app where you enter the stuff you eat and it tells you when you’re reaching your daily limits, yada yada yada.

But I did something stupid with the app the other day. I contemplated not entering something I ate — I can’t remember what it was but it was probably fried and salty — because I didn’t want to go over my calorie and fat limit on the app for the day. ON THE APP! Do you catch the hypocrisy and idiotness?

My point? We aren’t who we are “on paper.” Or who we tell the world we are on social media. We’re who we are in the dailiness of life. And Jesus wants to invade our dailiness.

 

We aren’t who we are “on paper.”
We’re who we are in the dailiness of life.
And Jesus wants to invade our dailiness.

 

This study isn’t meant to be something we check off of our good Christian color-coded Advent checklist. It’s not meant to be something we are “on paper.” It’s meant to lead us into the presence of God so that we come out on the other side changed. It’s meant to deepen our love for Jesus. It’s meant to awaken our soul afresh to the beauty and freedom in Christ.

So this is day 1 of the study. I pray that the God of the universe radically meets with each of us through its pages.

(I’ll be back on Friday or Saturday with a week-end round-up. Make sure you come back then to share what He showed you this week.)

CLICK HERE to find out more about the study. It’s not too late to join in!

 
Fill me, Lord…

What do you hope to “gain” from this Advent study?