If you’ve looked at the December calendar (or read the F.A.Q. page here), you know that this year, the fourth Sunday of Advent is Christmas Eve! This means that the readings for the fourth week of Advent don’t have a place on our calendar in 2017. You just have to let them go. Submitting to God and our time constraints (I call this “letting it go”) is a spiritual discipline we can all put into practice in December.
But I thought we would take a sneak peak into Advent Week 4, Day 3 right now. I took my Bible Study ladies here today.
Please ignore this post if your schedule is crowded or you simply don’t want to read December things in November. Let it go.
Here’s how this works. You read the scriptures. They are all right here.
As you read the Psalm, look for a phrase you might use as your opening prayer as you interact with God’s word. And then as you read the rest of the scriptures, look for a treasure verse. Look for something you want to carry with you and talk to God about during the day.
After the scripture references, you will find my treasures. I chose a phrase to treasure, I listed the verses that were my treasures today, and I responded to them with a prayer.
Your treasures will be different from mine, because God’s Word speaks to each of us so very personally.
Psalm 80 (Again, all the scriptures are right here for you.)
Micah 5:1-4
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-55
Notes
Psalm 80 contains a beautiful prayer: “Turn us again to yourself, O God” (NLT). Pray this for yourself or someone you love today.
Micah 5: Ephrathah was the district in which Bethlehem was located. Bethlehem was a small unimportant town, yet it was the birthplace of King David as well as the Messiah.
Hebrews 10:5-7 quotes Psalm 40:6-8. These verses tell us that God longs for faithful hearts rather than religious rituals.
Luke 1: Compare Luke 1:45 to Hebrews 11:12. Read Hebrews 10:5-7 again and think about what God values and rewards.
Today my treasure is “rejoice in God.”
…My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…
(Luke 1:46-47)
…Breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!
(Psalm 80:18 Message)
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth. (Micah 5:4)
For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. (Hebrews 10:10 NLT)
My spirit rejoices in you, God my Savior.
Without you, I would not even have the breath to call upon you.
My spirit rejoices in you, Lord my Shepherd.
Without you I would have no guidance.
My spirit rejoices in you, Jesus Christ my holy sacrifice,
Without you I would have no hope.
Photo Credit: Amy Mayfield
Light for a Dark Season 