Advent Enthusiasts, Beware!

I wanted to get my grandchildren a good Advent devotional this year.  One that has a short devotion for each day in December. I trolled the internet looking for a good one, and I found some!  Sadly, though, I also came across some really bad ones.  It seems Christmas and Advent are not immune to the heretical garbage that is being pedaled as “Christian.”  The upside, though, is that it presents a wonderful learning opportunity for all of us!

One devotional I read that was geared towards children, told the reader, “We have to be ready for when Jesus comes back and have our lives in order, from the biggest to the smallest of things.  We don’t want to disappoint our King.”

Ugh!  Where to begin!  Friends, if we were able to get our lives in order on our own, what would we need Jesus for?!  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  It is by grace we are saved!  It is God who does all of the work of our salvation.  The Holy Spirit regenerates the hearts of God’s people so that they can, and definitely will, at some point, accept the Gospel and be saved.  All we contribute to this process is to trust in the saving work of Jesus (and even that is only possible because the Holy Spirit has opened our minds to be able to have faith!) While our making the decision to accept Jesus as our Savior is vitally important from an earthly perspective, it is only possible because of the work of the Holy Spirit, and therefore, we have nothing to boast about.  We did nothing!  If we believe we “found Jesus,” that would constitute works and would give us something to brag about. (Incidentally, Jesus was never the One who was lost and has never needed finding!)

As amazing as our salvation is, God doesn’t just leave us on our own once we are saved!  The Holy Spirit indwells in us maturing us to be more like Jesus. (Sanctification).  He is with us guiding us and growing us.  The Holy Spirit does the work of sanctification; we are responsible for cooperating with Him in it. As Jesus tells us in John 14:16 – 17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “Our gracious, Almighty Father has given us the Holy Spirit to remind us that He is with us and that we are not meant to walk this walk alone.

The author of this devotional is telling kids to get their lives in order from the biggest to the smallest of things!  I don’t know about you, but there are some days just getting myself dressed and out the door is a major accomplishment!  The thought that we should (or ever could) get our life together on our own, is not just stupid, its dangerous.  What happens when we can’t?  How will a child who may be reading this knowing his dad is an alcoholic, he has experimented with drugs, and his life is in shambles feel?  Is this author offering hope for that child or devastating despair? Which brings us to the next part of this directive!

As ridiculous as that first part is, the second is just as bad!  Can we disappoint God? Disappointment is always a result of the unexpected.  We are disappointed because someone didn’t behave as we had hoped, or something did not pan out as we anticipated it would.  That being the case, we can NOT disappoint God.  He knows all, He is sovereign over all.  As Psalm 139:1-4, 13 tells us, “O Lord, you have searched me and know me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. . . For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”

            Friends, if our God knows all, is sovereign over all, and knows every fiber of our being, there is no way He can be disappointed in us.  Can we always be better, do better, have more faith?  Of course, we can!  Does God want us to?  Of course He does! But God knows exactly where we are, and since nothing can ever surprise Him, nor can we behave or react in a way that is unexpected to Him, He can never feel disappointment towards us.

Let’s rewrite this devotional to reflect the truth in Scripture:

Because we have a gracious Savior who forsook His glory and came to earth to save us, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  Let us be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that by testing, we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. In doing this, we will be ready to celebrate the first coming of Jesus and look forward to with eager anticipation, His Second Coming!”