31 Verses: Advent Preview

How do you get ready for Christmas? Finding and wrapping the perfect gifts…decorating the tree…cleaning the house… hanging lights on the house…cooking for the multitude… attending Christmas parties, concerts, and plays? Christmas has become a celebration of expensive gifts, fabulous decorations, and amazingly lighted homes, with marketing that begins as early as October. Much of what we do to get ready to celebrate Christmas can bring stress, anxiety, and chaos—nothing that even begins to bring peace, offer hope, display love, and create joy.

The holiday season requires lots of preparation, lots of focused time, and lots of busyness. If we’re not careful, all that busyness and all that preparation will take our focus off the One who is at the very center of Christmas—Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son. In this devotion, 31 Verses Every Believer Should Know: Advent, you’ll have the opportunity to ignore some of the noise of the season as your focus your heart for the coming gift of God’s Son, the Anointed One, who has come to be the Savior of the world. And, you’ll be able to carefully and systematically study the prophecies of Jesus’ birth, the events of His birth, the witnesses who were there, and His call to ministry that was evident even in His birth, as you consider the peace, hope, love, and joy that surround it.

May the peace of Christ abide within you, may the hope of Christ inspire you, may the love of Christ define you, and may the joy of Christ overflow within you as you work through this study.

Merry Christmas!

Margie Williamson Editor

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Now that you own this devotional, you may be wondering, “How should I use it?”

The great thing about this book is that you can use it just about any way you want. It’s not a system. It’s a resource that can be used in ways that are as unique and varied as you are.

Here are a few suggestions…

One-Month Study This devotional is designed for you to read each day during the season of Advent. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the Bible for a month-long period while you cover a lot of information in a short amount of time.

The Scripture Memory Challenge yourself to memorize the verse for each day’s devotional. It’s an opportunity to build your own mental library of important biblical passages.

“I’m Not a Writer” You have the option of writing responses and journaling as you go. Don’t like to write or journal? That’s okay, too. Not everybody expresses themselves the same way. Simply read the devotional for each verse, and then read the questions.

Think about them. Pray through them. But don’t feel as if you have to journal if you don’t want to.

Strength in Numbers God designed us for interaction. Since we’re social creatures, go through 31V:Advent with your friends. Get a group of friends together. Consider agreeing to read five verses each week, then meeting to talk about them.

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Ver se 1 I s a ia h 9: 2

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.”

Alaska is the northernmost state in the U.S., and certain parts of the state experience long periods of darkness— some of which can last up to two months. This has led to approximately 1/5 of the population in Alaska suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a form of depression caused by a lack of light. In fact, people miss the sunlight so much that there have been reports of flights to Hawaii in the winter selling out a year in advance.

Read Isaiah 9:2-3. This prophecy of Isaiah’s was a reference to the coming of the Messiah, as we see in Matthew 4:13-16.

However, the prophet was also speaking to current events.

Isaiah’s prophecy pointed to the future invasion of the Assyrians, which was the great darkness that God’s people would have to endure. However, the prophecy wasn’t all doom and gloom. Isaiah also spoke of a “great light.”

This great light was the arrival of the promised Messiah, the awaited Savior, the conquering Lord Jesus Christ. The people of God would wait approximately 700 years before the arrival of the promised Messiah of Isaiah’s prophecies, but His arrival was like the joy of the harvest, which represented life and was the culmination of difficult sowing; and like the joys of dividing spoils, which represented victory after a tough and longfought battle.

What moments of darkness have you recently endured or are currently enduring?

In what ways do you reflect the great light of Christ to others?

Ask God to stir up your affections for the greatest wonder of all: the arrival and the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this world. Pray for His peace and light to spread to others through you.

In certain parts of Alaska, they have long periods of uninterrupted night, sometimes dragging on for months, and this darkness clearly has an affect on the residents. However, going into this season of darkness, residents know the light will return in summer. In fact, in the northernmost areas of Alaska where the winter darkness last the longest, they also experience the longest stretches of uninterrupted sunlight, sometimes lasting nearly three months.

Ultimately, the Lord will deliver peace. Although we might be surrounded by darkness, He brings the light of His presence into our hearts and minds.

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Verse 2 2 Samu e l 7 : 16

“Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”

Every ruling power on this earth has a beginning and an end.

Granted, there are some powers that have lasted longer than others. Take the Roman Empire, as an example, which spanned approximately 1,500 years, from the 1st century to the 15th century. That’s a long time, especially when you consider that the United States is only 239 years old.

Read 2 Samuel 7:12-16. In this passage, God talked to King David through His prophet Nathan. Verses earlier, David had expressed a desire to build God a temple. Yet, God turned down David’s offer, not because it was a bad desire, but because God wanted David’s son, Solomon, to build His temple. David had it in his mind to do something great for God. Instead, God told David that He was going to be the One to do something great. Rather than David doing something for God, God wanted to bless David by bringing from his bloodline the promised Messiah, whose rule will last forever. At the time, David’s kingdom was experiencing a season of peace.

And that’s how peace works in our world. It comes and goes in seasons. However, the promised Messiah’s kingdom will rule throughout all eternity in absolute peace.

Today’s passage opened with God mentioning David’s last days on earth. Do you fear the end of your time on this earth? If so, why?

In what ways does Christ’s eternal rule bring peace to your mind?

As earthly powers go, it’s difficult for rulers and empires to maintain their authority. There are always outside powers and internal strife competing for control. While the Roman Empire was the longest lasting empire in world history, that record is a mere drop of water in an infinite ocean when compared to the eternal rule of Christ. Sometimes we get bent out of shape about the little things, the stuff that won’t matter in eternity (and maybe not even an hour from now). God gave David hope in the promise of His Son and His eternal rule. Let the hope of Christ make sense of the things that worry you and drive away your anxiety over petty things.

List the things in life you’re prone to worry about. Prayerfully ask God to fill you with the hope of Christ’s Kingdom.

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Verse 3 J ere mia h 2 3: 5

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.”

96-year-old evangelist Billy Graham has preached to nearly a quarter of a billion people in almost 200 different countries. Early in Graham’s ministry, he sat down with close friends and discussed ways they could help one another live above reproach. For example, since some evangelists at that time had been caught misusing the money from tithe donations, Graham and his friends agreed on strict guidelines in order to ensure the appropriate distribution of money raised from offerings.

Read Jeremiah 23:5-6. The house of David suffered a great deal of strife and turmoil following the reign of David— his offspring weren’t known for their sense of justice or uprightness. So it was no small matter when the Lord asserted that a righteous branch would rise from the house of David. This righteous Branch, of course, would be the Messiah.

The kingdom of the Lord, which reigns now in our hearts and forever in eternity, brings justice, righteousness, and salvation. The Lord is just, but He also teaches us to be just.

The Lord is righteous, but He also gives us His righteousness to replace the guilt of our sin. The Lord offers us salvation, but we must also take His salvation to the rest of the world.

When have you been tempted to use your influence for selfish pursuits?

How are you currently using your influence or position to glorify God and serve others?

In what ways have you witnessed the justice and righteousness of God in your own life?

Tragically, like many of David’s descendants, some people in power use their authority for their own benefit, rather than for the good of the people. Billy Graham and his team realized that, as their influence as evangelists grew, their newfound notoriety would come with newfound temptations, pitfalls, and opportunities for public disgrace.

Sadly, David’s offspring fell into these very pitfalls. But our Lord, the righteous Branch from the house of David, lived His life in wisdom, justice, and righteousness. And to our great joy, He brought salvation and He will rule in peace forever.

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Verse 4 Mica h 5: 2

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

Chances are you have heard the expression, “Cinderella Story.”

It is sometimes used in sports to refer to an underdog team that comes from difficult circumstances to have great success. The term, of course, comes from the tale of Cinderella, in which a humble woman rose from lowly servitude to become a princess.

We love hearing stories about athletes, successful businesses people, and presidents who came from nothing and achieved great things. Cinderella stories grab our attention, capture our imagination, and make us believe that anything is possible.

What difficult circumstances have you faced in your life?

In what ways can Christ’s humble beginnings encourage you during such moments?

Read Micah 5:2-3. God has always been full of surprises. He uses things considered foolish to shame those who are wise.

He uses things considered weak to shame those who think they are strong. In short, God is rarely One to do things in the way we might expect. No greater example of this exists than the humble beginnings of Christ. The Lord, the Savior, God’s Son, was born in a manger in the small, lowly city of Bethlehem. Our Lord truly had the humblest of beginnings, but this serves as an extraordinary contrast to what was in store.

Jesus may have been born as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem, but He was with the Father from before time began. As Micah noted, “His goings forth are from long ago.” Jesus eventually ascended from His humble beginnings as a baby born in a manger and took the role of Savior and King, as the Father gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth.

Take time to pause and reflect on the significance of what Christ did in coming from heaven to earth. Thank your King for His incredible humility.

We love Cinderella stories because they fill us with hope.

Whatever difficult circumstances we might face or whatever obstacles we might have to overcome, we think about the triumph of those who rose above impossible odds and we feel inspired. But Jesus’ story stands above any Cinderella story––He descended from the right hand of the Father, came to us as a baby born in a manger in Bethlehem, and is now the Savior of those who believe and the King of all creation for all eternity.

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