These pangs of helplessness have been felt throughout history. The wicked prosper, the faithful suffer, and the days keep going with no change in sight. What good is there when all of life feels upside down?

Psalm 49 is a psalm of admission that life feels unfair, that the wicked prosper with no break for the upright person. Is there any justice for the righteous? Where is God when it feels like His people can’t get ahead? It’s exhausting trying to tread the trends of this world only to realize you’re losing steam.

But we can endure, because kingdoms rise and fall, fads come and go, and what many put their focus on—money, power, status—crumble. What lasts is understanding and relationship with God.

The writer of this psalm understood who had his back. He lifted his perspective and made a prediction that God was still attentive and would come to his aid: “But God will redeem me” (v.15). It’s a guarantee. The psalmist was confident of the Lord’s involvement and placed his trust in God for the redemption of his own shortcomings as well as overcoming the evil of the world.

Psalm 49 reminds us that it isn’t about what we have but who. Life in Jesus is the best offer we can receive. Knowing Him is everything, and we will be left standing on His foundation when all other imitations of what the world values dissipate. Through Jesus, all is redeemed. All will be made right again in a new heaven and earth when He returns and establishes His reign. We can take this redeeming on a macro level, holding hope for humanity. And we can take this personally, as we place our trust in God to work in our lives, both now and forever.

God is a generous God who, because He rose from the grave, offers us grace, goodness, and redemption, both now and forever. Have confidence in Him to take your heart in His hands and hear your cries. He is over everything, and the events of the world fall under His authority.

What’s good in all this? God. He gives hope and redemption, a promise of a future where wrongs will be made right, evil is finally destroyed, and the people of the Lord live in harmony with Him. The Lord turns everything right in the end. Let’s look to Him to fulfill all we desire and to trust Him when it looks like we’re behind.

What the world wants won’t last. It’s God’s kingdom that will remain, and it is He who carries us through.

A reputation goes a long way and could make or break decisions.

The apostle Paul knew this, so he sought wisdom when it came to discerning the next person for his team.

Coming off of a split with a good friend and ministry partner, Paul needed to choose someone who would join him on his missionary journey to share the good news of Jesus with Jews and Gentiles.

When he arrived at the areas of Derbe and Lystra (in modern-day Turkey), Paul heard about a young man named Timothy. His grandmother and mother were Jewish believers, and his father was Greek. His life represented a mix of cultures, and he had heard and responded to the gospel, which seems to have perfectly positioned him for this assignment.

Now, note the word disciple. Timothy was identified as someone actively living out the mission, and the word choice makes it known that he followed the teachings of Jesus.

Not only did he follow Jesus, but he represented a solid character and trustworthiness. People in the area spoke well of him. Their observations and interactions left a pleasant and cheerful outlook toward this young man. His reputation preceded him.

Paul received recommendations based on Timothy’s reputation and must have found them to be accurate as he met Timothy and took him under his wing. Things went well, because later in the New Testament  we find two books dedicated to Paul’s continued correspondence with his protégée, advising Timothy to stay strong in faith and pursue the same noble qualities that Paul witnessed in him—righteousness, godliness, love, and gentleness, among others.

What would people say about us? If someone researched our lives and interviewed family and friends, what would they find? Are we kind, trustworthy, and caring? Would we be labeled as disciples of Jesus?

We want to be the kind of people with our purpose fixed on God and His kingdom so that when opportunities arise to lead a Bible study, mentor someone, or join a ministry at church or in the community, our actions speak for themselves others would speak highly of us because they’ve seen us walk in step with Jesus.

We’ve prepared for family gatherings, getting groceries and setting up decorations.

We’ve prepared gifts and goodies to deliver to our friends and neighbors.

We’ve prepared to make room for silent nights when we’ve needed to step back from the seasonal bustle.

We’ve also been preparing the way for Christ to rule in our own hearts this Christmas. And today, we see a period of waiting turned to celebration in the birth and ministry of John the Baptist.

John was a close relative of Jesus, born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, a priest of Judea. He was prophesied about in the book of Isaiah, a man who would go and prepare people’s hearts for the coming King. He preached a new way of living, repentance, and a baptism into God’s kingdom. He pointed those on the lookout to their Savior.

After millennia of preparation and watching for the promised Messiah, John the Baptist ushered in God’s restoration plan ahead of Jesus’s public ministry. And to think we just wait a few weeks for Christmas Day!

What must it have been like for Elizabeth and Zechariah to wait for the arrival of their son! Nine months of readying for a boy to be born beyond the limitations of child-bearing age and then waiting while he grew into a man who would make a way for the Messiah.

How they must have celebrated this honor, rejoicing in the God who saw them and chose them to carry and raise the prophet who would point to Jesus! Yes, it was a long wait, but it was well worth it.

As he grew in the desert, John became “strong in spirit,” growing into his calling (Luke 1:80). People watched and waited to see what this man would do. His job was to prepare the way for the One who was coming—prepping hearts, baptizing with water, and preaching repentance and the coming kingdom of God. His life reflected an obedience to the God he clearly believed in. He knew his role and ran with it, eyes fixed ahead and heart unmovable.

Where might we be called to prepare the way of Jesus to those around us? As we celebrate Christmas and the coming of Jesus, we, too, are in a position to preach the kingdom already come to a weary world waiting for hope, the hope that’s found in Christ our King. Remember what the waiting felt like for you before you heard the beautiful truth of Jesus? Many still wait, watching. Let’s be the bridge that connects longing hearts to Immanuel, God with us. The way is already prepared.

The warmth of coming together with friends and family brings a familiarity that’s been formed in us to recognize, because God, who created all life, longs to bring us home to Him.

Throughout the Old Testament, God continually called to His people, the Israelites, as they forgot Him and went their own way. Their sin broke God’s heart, and they often became tangled in their own webs of self-centeredness and pride.

But God never once abandoned them. Through the prophets, who challenged the Israelites and foretold their captivity, God also gave them hope and a reminder of His covenant. He kept His promise: a Messiah who would save His people from their sins and establish an everlasting reign. He would come to free the captives, heal the brokenhearted, and bring beauty from ashes.

This Advent, we celebrate God sending Jesus to earth to become human while fully retaining His deity. He empathized with us, grew up under the law, and then fulfilled the law through His death and resurrection. Humanity at last had the long-awaited One who would set them free. Through Jesus, we are grafted into God’s family, inheriting all the spiritual blessings found in Christ.

Becoming God’s child is available to everyone now, and it’s evident He longs to gather up His people. He makes Himself known through creation, through His Word, and through us with the message of His Son.

This Advent, how can you celebrate the gift of Immanuel, God with us? Could you spread holiday cheer to a family member who could use a little extra? How about paying for the person behind you in the coffee line waiting to order their cocoa? A little Christmas kindness can go a long way when looking into the heart of the people around us who just might be in need of the hope in Christ you have to offer.

In Jesus, God came through on His promise to deliver us. We rejoice and we wait, recognizing that Jesus has come while looking toward the day when He will come again to usher all of us fully and forever into the kingdom of His Father.

Think of your sweetest celebration. As special as it was, our greatest parties pale in comparison to what is waiting for us when we join with the angels in singing the glory of God and what He has done through Jesus.

Today’s reading picks up where evil ended and a time of rejoicing has come. God completed what He intended to do, bringing in the fullness of His glory and ushering a heavenly reign on earth. A vast multitude are gathered in praise, revering the righteousness of Jesus and grandness of God. We were created to worship, and here our calling finally comes together.

This celebration is the culmination of God’s story of provision, redemption, and victory; it is the welcome home party we have been waiting for. The Lamb of God who was slain for the sin of this world has overcome death. We will be in the presence of the Lord, who has made all things right. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning (Psalm 30:5). This is where we will celebrate Jesus, where we will gather as His people under our God whom we will dwell with.

Every tear we have shed, every pain that has rung our heart, every bit of grief at the loss of loved ones—all will be healed and restored with Jesus. This gives us great expectancy while on earth, knowing there will be a day of great celebration and jubilee like we have never known as we join with all of creation, together at last with our Creator.

We can prepare today for that future celebration. Let’s notice and give thanks for what God has brought us: the trees, the weather, the people around us, the breath in our lungs, and the assurance that we are never alone. As we wait to receive our King in full, we can look for ways to share God‘s love with those around us, like an encouraging word, dropping a card in the mail, or taking time to listen to someone’s story.

We can celebrate the kingdom-come-to-earth while looking forward to the day when that kingdom will be made complete. Revelation can be difficult to read at times, but we can take heart in the steadfast love of God and how His plans are greater than anything we can understand. And for those who love and place their hope in Jesus, we will live with God and fully experience the richness of life in Him. We get to celebrate the victory of Jesus, His resurrection, and His making His home with His people. Glory to God!

Written by Sarah Freymuth

There are things we just might not be wired to understand easily, and then there are things that take a little divine direction to get us on track. The unlikely Messiah in today’s reading, unlike my still growing gift for mathematics, is something God Himself came to earth to help us grasp.

This carpenter from Nazareth carried Himself with an otherworldly confidence. There was something about Jesus, something different and unexplainable. But it didn’t make sense—He came from Mary and Joseph, and they had watched Him grow up. How was He fit to read the scrolls? And to teach from them?

Yet there was Jesus, speaking in a way that fueled, and fed hungry hearts. He was misunderstood and mistaken, and even His own brothers had a hard time believing in His divinity (John 7:2–5). Jesus had a mission and stuck with it, even when it seemed upside down.

At His words, the religious leaders were disgusted; the crowds were astonished. He was either stark crazy and a liar or actually the Son of God and Messiah. There was no in-between. But through all the differing opinions, Jesus remained secure in His identity and authority. He shared over and over that what He taught came from God, much to the Jews’ dismay. He spoke in words many could not fathom, though Jesus unfolded truth before them. He spoke of streams of living water, of being sent by the Father, and He challenged the Pharisees for contradicting their own laws and relying more on regulation than God. What couldn’t be explained about the wonder of Jesus could only come from God.

The people were looking for a Messiah who looked and acted a certain way. They believed He would come with power and political aim. But they didn’t know to look deeper and open their hearts to believe God may have been making a completely new way.

Does Jesus strike a chord deep within our souls? When we read about Him, does His teaching draw us to know Him more? Do we see Him as an interesting teacher or true Messiah?

While Jesus made it clear He is the Son of God and ushered in a new kingdom through His authority, life, death, and resurrection, He invites us to explore all He has said and done. Let’s look to Him as the answer to our hearts’ longing—even when it might look different than what we thought. The way of this unlikely Messiah is so much better than we might first think.

I know I do. When my soul tank is empty, it’s difficult for me to pump out grace, patience, and kindness when I’m asked for one more favor or have to make one more decision.

Sometimes, we don’t want to receive kindness because we feel we don’t deserve it. Maybe we’ve been exceptionally cruel with our words to someone close to us. Or we’ve been so focused on our work and the tasks at hand we think the little requests that come in from family aren’t worth our time.

Shame and fear can cloud our heads and hearts, but God asks us to come to Him with it all because His kindness actually calls us closer.

Despite the pain of his past, King David still wanted to show kindness to someone from the house of Saul. So he asked around and found a son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, who had lived most of his life impaired, unable to carve out a life of his own—dependent on others, aware of his disability, and sensitive to the strife within his family. And with his family gone, he lived as an orphan with no standing in society. What did he think would happen? Would David mock him for his appearance and the loss of his family? Throw him out into the street?

In 2 Samuel 9:7 we see how David told him not to be afraid, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

Mephibosheth became a recipient of the king’s kindness, and that changed everything. God is actively looking to share His love and kindness. When we come to Him, we are ushered into the King’s presence, and everything changes for us too. We are the recipients of His unmerited favor and grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not by anything we’ve done but on Christ alone. We were lame, helpless, unable to do anything to get ourselves out of sin. Only by the kindness of God are we restored to His table. 

We are also shown kindness, restored, and brought into right standing as heirs, and we always have a place at God’s table. We’ve become children of God and grafted into His royalty through Jesus. We have a place and inheritance in Him.

We have no need to be afraid to come before God because we stand confidently on the cross of Christ. The family of God is a wonderful place to make our home as we live out our days unafraid, satisfied, and full of the kindness and care of our King.