Leave the Empty Boxes Behind: Advent Readings by Lynne Modranski, #19

By Lynne Modranski

Every toddler loves to play with empty boxes. They receive grand gifts, the toy of every child's dreams, and still we find them sitting in the cardboard.

What if I told you our spiritual lives mimic the antics of those three-year olds?

 

Romans 5:15-17 says

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

 

This Advent season, I want to focus on the true gift. As children of the Most High King, it's time to throw away the boxes and give up frolicking in the wrapping paper and bows. Join me as I leave behind the childish practice of playing with the packaging and enjoy the peace and love found only in the Almighty's most amazing Gift.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lynne Modranski
• Release date: Jul 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393394839

Lynne Modranski

Meet Lynne Modranski Lynne began studying scripture in her youth but learned as many rules as she did memory verses. By her twenties she questioned just about everything she’d been taught. She wanted to know the truth. To that end she began digging into scripture, and there she found freedom. Through her studies and her new relationship with Jesus, Lynne discovered her passion to teach, encourage and evangelize. When she combined that with her love to write, she found her heart on paper in songs, devotions, Bible studies and more.             Currently Lynne leads worship and small groups at Sycamore Tree Church where her husband pastors. She golfs and swims with her grandchildren and crochets and colors all winter.             She’d love to hear from you! Go ahead and send an e-mail! [e-mail]

Book preview

What is Advent?

Each year the Advent season begins four Sundays before Christmas. The word originates with the Greek to come. It’s a season set aside to celebrate Jesus coming to earth and to remind us He’ll be coming again.

You’ll discover these readings talk about lighting candles each day. And while candles and an Advent wreath aren’t necessary, they can create a worshipful atmosphere for your Advent devotions.

Advent wreaths are round and made of pine to represent Christ’s unending love and the eternal life He brings. Although three purple and one pink candle are traditionally used, the four outside candles can also be red or royal blue to remind us of His royalty. If you choose the traditional colors, the pink is usually lit during the third week as a symbol of the peace and hope Jesus brings.

A white candle stands in the center calling our attention to the perfection and holiness of the Messiah. While the increasing light each week reminds us Jesus is the light of the world.

The candles and wreath are not important. In fact even these short meditations can become part of the trappings if we aren’t careful. The goal of this book is to help you focus on Christ.

If we keep our mind fixed on Him this season, we’ll find blessings we’d never imagined. Because when we leave the empty boxes behind, we can truly celebrate God’s Amazing Gift.

The First Week of Advent

The Candle of Preparation

The First Sunday of Advent

The Candle of Preparation

Preparing for the Celebration

¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

⁵ Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Isaiah 11:1-5

For the next few weeks we’ll delve into scripture designed to strengthen our relationship with the One whose birth we’ll soon celebrate. This first week we celebrate with The Candle of Preparation. This season will find us preparing for parties and presents, but even more important, we need to prepare our hearts.

Our preparation begins by looking at Isaiah’s description of Christ. Hundreds of years before His birth, the prophet told us Jesus would be filled with the Spirit of God and be wise and just. The Messiah would be clothed in righteousness and faithfulness.

Too often we come to Christ as if He were Santa Claus. We want a genie rather than a relationship with One who delights in those who love and respect His Father. But when we look for the magic wand, it’s as if we’re playing in the boxes. The real gift brings wisdom and understanding, good counsel and power. Unfortunately, we humans use our eyes and ears to determine the biggest and best, so like a child amongst the cardboard, we miss out on the abundance