Apprentice 2 Jesus

An Anglicostal Connecting to a Real World

The Message of Advent and Our Desire for Being “Neat”

Dan

Yesterday’s Advent readings included some very “not nice” language in Isaiah.

Today, even Psalms isn’t safe!

3 Our God is coming;
he won’t keep quiet.
A devouring fire is before him;
a storm rages all around him. (Psa. 50:3, CEB)

Devouring fire?

Where is this nice little baby in the manger? What is happening?

In this season we really need our presuppositions examined… and hard. These readings assault our sensitivities… and they should. Advent is all about his coming. In the days (generations) leading up to the coming of Messiah, it was abundantly clear they were not ready. And when he came, many of them just missed it.

We need an awareness in our own lives as believers. Are we ready? 

It’s not about “the God I know.” It’s not about the nice little picture of God we have set up in our minds.

Are we ready for this God who will not keep quiet and will disturb our souls with a devouring fire?

And understand this isn’t about “unbelievers.” This is about the people of God. Are we, as his people, ready for his coming again?

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2 responses to “The Message of Advent and Our Desire for Being “Neat””

  1. Nick Zeimet Avatar
    Nick Zeimet

    Thank you. I think as God’s people, we too quickly complain about “the world.” We complain about the unrighteous acts of those who aren’t saved. As I study through the Advent readings and the Gospels, the harshest words are for the people of God, who have not the ways of God in mind. My fear and prayer is that we would be awakened. Yesterday I read out of Ezekiel, God’s promise to the people that He would bring them back and restore their land, not for their sake, but for His name sake. His word to them was that he would replace their heart of stone with a heart of flesh, one that could be sensitive to Him.

    What a daily challenge to deny the fleshly desires that our world is so willing to fulfill. Especially in America where we can easily fool ourselves into self-reliance. We struggle to know how to truly depend on God for provision. We are numbed and moved into slumber by our comfortable lifestyles. We don’t hurt in America and we don’t lack in America. We need to be careful about spiritual apathy!

    Reply
  2. Debbie Avatar
    Debbie

    scriptures that talk to believers directly are meant to prick us in our hearts, and if it hurts it could be very much so because we aren’t taking God and walking in His ways seriously. It should be a blessing actually when the Holy Spirit is making us squirm and uncomfortable, it’s His way of telling us how much He loves us and wants us to come back into full fellowship with Him. What would be so wrong to tell the LORD, bring it on, Father, that fire- that will burn away the stuff that doesn’t belong. Christ came to this world to die for us and that physically brought tremendous pain in the process, he became the sin offering for us so that we will be reborn and new. Sin hurts, apathy kills, but I much rather go through the fire knowing I will come out awakened to Himself than be in slumber.

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