“ready or not — here i come”
“Who will endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?” —Malachi 3:2
Almost everyone believes in preparing for Christmas. But are we preparing the way of the Lord (Lk 3:4) or the way of the world? The Lord calls us to make gigantic changes in our ways. Priorities as big as mountains in our lives should be leveled. Our valleys, depressions, pits, and ruts are also to be leveled. As crooked as our hearts are (see Jer 17:9), Jesus wants them straightened. As rough as our edges are, they must be smoothed.
The Lord is not calling us to maintain, much less to promote, the status quo of a world trapped in sin. The Lord is calling us to a revolution where the high and mighty are deposed from their thrones and the lowly raised to high places (Lk 1:51-52). That’s what He means by “preparing the way of the Lord.” Are you prepared for Christmas by Christ’s standards?
Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, John, and Jesus all went through big changes near the time of Jesus’ birth. Are you prepared to do the same? Will you receive the real Christmas? Will you receive Christ?
Prayer: Jesus, it is a fearful thing to fall into Your hands (Heb 10:31). This Christmas, “let it be done to me as You say” (Lk 1:38).
Promise: “This astonished them all. At that moment his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.” —Lk 1:63-64
Praise: “O Emmanuel, King and Lawgiver, Desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.”
Reference: (For a related teaching on Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible, view, download or order our booklet on our website.)
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