Discipleship

I’ve read through the book of Isaiah every December for nearly three decades. I revel in the evidence of God’s love in the prophecy, especially the Messianic verses. Last year, a passage in Isaiah struck me with surprising force. It began with a description of “the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service…” (Isaiah 14:3) I read those words again today, recalled the insane hours I’ve worked this past year, and thought, “Bring it on, Lord.” When I reached Isaiah 14:9-11, the description of hell surprised me again. Those already in hell are excited to meet new arrivals. The spirits of the dead are aroused to speak words of meanness and taunts to them. It’s not much of a welcome. To make matters worse, there’s no real rest. Maggots are spread out as a bed beneath you and worms crawl over you as a kind of hellish bed-covering. Imagine that for a moment. Maggot-mattress. Worm-blanket. Yeah. Gross. Eternal flames are bad enough, but who wants to spend eternity on a maggot-mattress? I know this doesn’t seem much like a Christmas devotional yet, but we’ll get there, so please read on. An unpleasant truth The unpleasant truth is we all deserve hell. All have sinned. (Romans 3:23) The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Mankind proved completely incapable of living according to the rules our Creator set for us. Our sin debt was so gigantic, no amount of animal sacrifice was sufficient to completely cover the price. A simple apology didn’t cut it. Something had to be done, and only God could do it. He chose to pay the sin-price Himself. That’s why Jesus came. He accepted a bed of hay so we could avoid the maggot-mattress (and all the other horrors of hell.) Selah. Pause and ponder. We’ve all done wrong things, we all sin, and we all deserve hell. It’s a place of eternal torment. The fire would be torment enough for me, but the worms and maggots take it to another level of horrible.  We’d all end up there, too, if not for the love and grace of God. According to Romans 5:8, God showed His love to us by allowing Christ to come to earth as a little baby, live a sinless life, and die on the cross in our place. He conquered sin and death when He rose from the grave. The point of Christmas is Jesus.  At Christmas, it’s easy to focus on decorations, gifts, and parties, but they aren’t the point. The point of Christmas is Jesus. The Holy Baby was born to show us God’s love in the flesh, a love so fierce that, even though we deserved the worst He could give, God gave us His best, His Son.  Our course, sin is so entrenched in us that we couldn’t see His good example and follow it to a sinless life. We’re hopeless on our own. It’s only through Christ’s goodness, sacrifice, and resurrected redemption that we’re able to escape the consequences of our choices.  Only Jesus sets us free from ourselves and our sinfulness. Only He can give us peace with God and an eternity with Him, but each one of us must accept His gift for ourselves. Believe and follow. Trust and obey. It’s that simple. It’s that hard. The gift of God’s love The gift of Jesus is more love than I can fully comprehend, but this Christmas I intend to embrace it. Today, pause long enough to ponder our great sinfulness and the massive, hell-shattering love that sets us free. Don’t stop at pondering. Instead, abandon ourselves to the only One who loves us enough to save us.  If that isn’t love I don’t know what is.  “But God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 esv Keep reading for more… Leannahollis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the link to make a purchase, I may make a small amount of money (usually a few cents) from your purchase. It will not increase the price you pay in any way.   Thanks for sharing your time with me today! I’ve glad you stopped by. If you enjoyed this content, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest or sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list (below) to be notified about my future blog posts. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend my digital reach in ways I can’t do myself. Thanks again! See you soon. Want to read more? Here are links to a few other posts, including the advent series: Hope: God With Us True Beauty Begins When Pride Ends When the Last Days Come Christmas’ Best Gift: Beautiful Redemption Beginning December On Being Beloved If you’re looking  for an Advent devotional guide, consider this one: It’s available in Kindle format ($0.99) and paperback ($6.00) Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you start the new year: You can also send either book as a gift through Amazon.

God’s Will Prevails God’s ways are not our ways; they’re much better. (Isaiah 55:8-9) The story of Ahaz, Pekah and Rezin is a perfect example. King Uzziah’s grandson, Ahaz, was twenty years old when he became king and, like many young men that age, he thought he knew better than his elders. Both his grandfather, King Uzziah, and his father, King Jotham, walked in the ways of the Lord. Ahaz, on the other hand, rebelled from the start. He worshipped every idol available on the high places. (2 Kings 16:1-4) Worst of all, he burned his infant son to death as a sacrifice to an idol and led the people of Judah to do the same. Burned his baby son. Pause to consider this for a moment. Ahaz was about as bad as it gets. Imminent Disaster Pekah was the king of Israel at the time and every bit as bad as Ahaz. He formed an alliance of war with Rezin, king of Aram. The two kings decided to make war against Jerusalem in order to capture it but could not defeat the city. They camped in Ephraim as a launching spot for their army in anticipation of more war and the ultimate takeover of Judah. Of course, the news spread like wildfire. The Judean people were terrified and their hearts shook like trees in a windstorm. Ahaz was as frightened as anyone. Mercy and comfort are not my first responses toward wicked king Ahaz, but God is considerably nicer than I. No surprise there. His response to Ahaz’ fear is nothing short of amazing grace. (Leanna paraphrase of Isaiah 7 coming up.) God’s Response “Isaiah,” God said, “Go see Ahaz and tell him to calm down and quit worrying. Summon up some courage, Ahaz. I’ve got this and everything will work out fine this time. The Arameans are not the ones you need to worry about. It’s the Assyrians, so get your faith right.”  As if encouragement straight from God was not enough, God made a surprising offer via Isaiah. “Ask for a sign, Ahaz. Ask anything and I’ll do it. I want you to understand I’m in control.” “Oh, no,” Ahaz told Isaiah. “I wouldn’t dream of testing God by asking for a sign.” Hw didn’t mind testing God by burning his son alive in the arms of a huge metal idol, but he refused to ask for a sign. Isaiah was perhaps a little exasperated by Ahaz’ refusal because he said, “Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?” (Isaiah 7:13) “If you won’t ask for a sign, God will give you one anyway.” Here’s the remarkable part. Wicked Ahaz wouldn’t do what God said, despite a personal message from God Himself, but God was not dependent upon Ahaz’ willingness to obey. He had something to say and He said it, even if no one wanted to listen. The Good News “A virgin will bear a son,” He told Isaiah, “And she will name him Emmanuel (God with us).” Pause a moment and consider God’s words to Ahaz when an invading army appeared apt to carry him and his people into captivity. “Don’t worry, Ahaz. Not only will this army not defeat you, but I will send my Son to be with you.” Consider God saying those words to you…”Don’t worry Leanna, I know you’re under a lot of pressure to get things done, but I have everything under control and Jesus is with you. Your job is to believe me and obey.” Jesus. God with us. Are there any more precious words? There is no situation so bleak, nothing we face, no fear we have nor disease we contract that can stand in the presence of Jesus. Immanuel. God with us. We are not alone. At one of the darkest moments of his life, the encouragement God gave Ahaz is the same He gives us today. Emmanuel. God is with us. We need not fear. Jesus has come and the world will never be the same again, nor will we, His people. He is with us no matter what we face nor how difficult our circumstances. His presence, dear friends, is always enough. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Emmanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 Leannahollis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the link to make a purchase, I may make a small amount of money (usually a few cents) from your purchase. It will not increase the price you pay in any way.   Thanks for sharing your time with me today! I’ve glad you stopped by. If you enjoyed this content, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest or sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list (below) to be notified about my future blog posts. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend my digital reach in ways I can’t do myself. Thanks again! See you soon. Want to read more? Here are links to a few of my most recent posts: True Beauty Begins When Pride Ends When the Last Days Come Christmas’ Best Gift: Beautiful Redemption Advent: Beginning December On Being Beloved The Whining Season If you’re looking  for an Advent devotional guide, consider this one: It’s available in Kindle format ($0.99) and paperback ($6.00) Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you start the new year: You can also send either book as a gift through Amazon.

The Preparation of Surrendered Pride A year ago, my writing career reached two early-career-type achievements. I happy-danced, praised God, shouted with joy, and prepared to tell everyone. It didn’t take long, however, for my mind to wander into the treacherous land of “what if.” You may know about “what-if-land,” too.  First, I wondered what if this good thing happened, then that good thing. Before I knew it, pride, not joy in the grace of God, took over for a few minutes. I was almost to the Nobel Prize for Literature before God stopped me in my tracks. “Pretty proud of what I did for you, aren’t you, Leanna?” the Still Small Voice whispered in my heart. Oops. The fantasies in what-if-land glorified Leanna a bit more than they glorified God. A good bit more. When pride threatens Pride does not sit well with God and, as soon as I recognized it, I was cut to the core. I repented, apologized, and repented some more. “Lord, you’ve finally given me a piece of the desires of my heart, and I’ve already squandered it in my mind. Forgive me.” I recognized pride, repented, and received forgiveness. My new beginning was that simple. Every new beginning is that simple. We see our sin, admit our guilt, repent, and reject the behavior. We choose a new path. The beginning is simple, but the difficulty lies in the carry-through. In the last days, Isaiah wrote, God will have a “day of reckoning” with everyone who’s proud and “lifted up.” He’ll be exalted and all prideful people will be abased. Women who take pride in their beauty, their clothes, their jewelry, and their possessions will be stripped of the adornments in which they’ve put their trust. Ladies, we may love the trappings of beauty, but God doesn’t. He wants beautiful hearts. The choice before us We have two choices: Reject pride, embrace humility, and avoid the reckoning. Embrace pride until God takes us down a few notches and restores our humble heart. Which one of those choices is most appealing? Yep. Humility from the beginning. The point of a fresh start is to continue in a new way. It’s easy to slip back into old habits, but we can make a better choice. This year, I had an even bigger landmark moment in my writing, but I learned from my mistake. No happy-dancing. No trips to what-if land. I simply thanked God and gave Him credit for what He did. I don’t claim to always get it right, but I want to be the one who responds in a godly way from the start every time, don’t you? True beauty  Our standing with God is not enhanced by what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside.  My Mama used to say, “Pretty is as pretty does,” and she was right.  No matter how attractive we are on the outside, it’s not true beauty unless our heart is beautiful – pure, kind, loving, and humble. True beauty begins when pride comes to an end. Today let’s reject the trap of external beauty and prepare our hearts to celebrate our Savior by turning our focus on what matters to God – beautiful hearts.  How do we achieve true beauty and a beautiful, humble heart? Micah 6:8 says it best: He has told you, O man, what is good;And what does the Lord require of youBut to do justice, to love kindness,And to walk humbly with your God? Tough times are planned for those who hold to pride and focus on external beauty, but there’s good news. God has wonderful plans for the humble in heart. We’ll not only see His glory and holiness, but He’ll provide all we need, even in the places of desolation.  “But the Lord of hosts will be exalted in judgment, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat in the waste places of the wealthy.” (Isaiah 5;16,17) Keep reading for more info: Leannahollis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the link to make a purchase, I may make a small amount of money (usually a few cents) from your purchase. It will not increase the price you pay in any way but it will help support the cost of the website. Thanks for sharing your time with me today! I’ve glad you stopped by. If you enjoyed this content, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest or sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list (below) to be notified about my future blog posts. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend my digital reach in ways I can’t do myself. Thanks again! See you soon. Want to read more? Here are links to a few of my most recent posts: When the Last Days Come Christmas’ Best Gift: Beautiful Redemption Advent: Beginning December On Being Beloved The Whining Season If you’re looking  for an Advent devotional guide, consider this one: It’s available in Kindle format ($0.99) and paperback ($6.00) Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you start the new year: You can also send either book as a gift through Amazon.

The simple beauty of truth It won’t be a quick trip through Isaiah. Every year I plan to finish this powerful book before Christmas but, once again, I’m stopped in my tracks by the simple, elegant beauty of its truth. We’re weighed down by our sin, Isaiah wrote, but there’s a simple solution. Repent. It doesn’t sound easy, does it? The idea of stripping away layers of sin causes us to pause and reconsider. We’re too comfortable with the window-dressing of wrongdoing, and we want to preserve our false dignity, wrap our pride a little closer. Laying our souls bare before God frightens us, and well it should, for the King of the Universe demands purity. Bare souls have none of it. The beauty of repentance Repentance, however, isn’t the dreadful soul-massacre we might expect. Instead, it’s the best gift of all.  Read the words of God again and revel in their tenderness. “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 nasb) How can we have this white-as-snow purity? How can our sins be washed away? Only the divine gift of God’s provision can accomplish such complete cleansing. Jesus, God’s own Son, shed His precious blood as payment for our sins. Later, Isaiah will tell us much more about this Suffering Servant Son of God but today he merely whets our appetite. Centuries of animal sacrifices paid the acute price, but the massive guilt of our wrongdoing demanded a permanent payment. Animal sacrifice alone was not enough. We instinctively know our sin is too heavy a load to carry. What we don’t quite understand is how to rid ourselves of it. The costly gift of redemption is rarely celebrated in our traditional American holiday, but redemption is the point. God didn’t send His Son so we could buy meaningless gifts no one really needs and stack them under a fake tree as a monument to commercialism. God sent His Son so we could be redeemed. Sin is the problem. Redemption is the solution. It’s also the point, the best gift of Christmas. Today, let’s remember one important truth. The only gift that matters, the only one with eternal significance, is Jesus. Only Jesus. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 nasb What steps do you take to keep Christ in Christmas? I’d love to hear from you, so please comment below, and thanks for commenting. Leannahollis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the link to make a purchase, I may make a small amount of money (usually a few cents) from your purchase. It will not increase the price you pay in any way. Thanks for sharing your time with me today! I’ve glad you stopped by. If you enjoyed this content, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest or sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list (below) to be notified about my future blog posts. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend my digital reach in ways I can’t do myself. Thanks again! See you soon. If you have time, why not stay a while and read a few of my recent posts: Advent: Beginning December Always Begin with Love: A Christian speaks out against Anti-Semitism The Whining Season On Being Beloved If you’re looking  for an Advent devotional guide, consider this one: It’s available in Kindle format ($0.99) and paperback ($6.00) Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you start the new year: You can also send either book as a gift through Amazon.

Leannahollis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the link to make a purchase, I may make a small amount of money (usually a few cents) from your purchase. It will not increase the price you pay in any way. I’ve read the book of Isaiah every December for more than two decades. Despite my familiarity with the text, I’m still surprised by the power and the sharp-as-a-knife cut of the words.  In the opening pages of his book of prophecy, Isaiah related a divine vision in agonizing detail. The scenes he saw were deep, true and painful. He couldn’t hold back. He was compelled to tell everyone the future God showed him. We’re breaking God’s heart… (The Leanna paraphrase from Isaiah 1 is coming up, but you’ll want to read these verses for yourselves.) “Listen up, world,” Isaiah said. “We’re breaking God’s heart. He’s cared for us like sons and we don’t even know Him. We don’t get Him at all, so we’ve done exactly what He told us not to do, and it’s killing us. Yeah. Literally making us sick, just like He said it would. “Look what a mess we’ve made of our lives. Can’t you see what devastation we’ve caused in our world? Our land? We didn’t think we needed God, so we’ve thrown off His tender watch-care. We’re devastated without Him. If He hadn’t continued to give us the protection we didn’t want, we’d already be gone. “Sure. We’re still rich. We’re still giving big offerings, and we’re still going to church like we always did. Our heart’s not in it, though, and we know it, but we won’t admit it. We’re just doing religion because it’s what we’ve always done on the Sabbath.  This is not what God wants from us. He wants our hearts to change. Why not do what He says? Let’s wash our hands and our hearts and turn back to Him now.” Advent – A time to wait and prepare There’s a lot more, of course, but these words set the theme for Isaiah and the theme of the Advent season. It’s not merely a time of waiting. It’s a time of preparation.  More than six hundred years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah called people to return to God and to prepare their hearts for the One to come. They needed time to get ready for Jesus, and we do, too.  As we begin our progress toward Christmas and our celebration of the birth of our Savior, we have time to get ready. Let’s use the coming days to examine our hearts and prepare them for our Savior.   Do we view God as a demanding tyrant or a loving Father? Are our acts of worship merely rote habit or the overflow of a grateful heart? Do we hide a heart full of sin behind the facade of religion or have we allowed God to strip away all the fake until only real faith and love remain? Is our heart ready for Jesus?  Is our heart ready for Jesus? If not, we have time. Over the next few weeks, we’ll prepare together. Today, let’s ask God to help us see our hearts the way He sees them and understand Him the way He most desires.  “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be a white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 nasb Thanks for sharing your time with me today! I’ve glad you stopped by. If you enjoyed this content, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest or sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list (below) to be notified about my future blog posts. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend my digital reach in ways I can’t do myself. Thanks again! See you soon. Want to read more? Here are links to the most recent posts: On Being Beloved The Whining Season Giving Tuesday: Life on Mission Always Begin With Love If you’re looking  for an Advent devotional guide, consider this one: The Road to Bethlehem: An Advent Prayer and Devotional Guide It’s available in Kindle format ($0.99) and paperback ($6.00) (this is an affiliate link, so I may make a few cents if you make a purchase using the link, but it won’t increase your price in any way) Are you interested in helping with the upcoming Massive Packing Party? We’ll pack all the Christmas holiday food for food-insecure students, prepare their Christmas stockings, and pack at least 100 personal hygiene packs for those experiencing homelessness. Join us at the Global Outreach office on Thursday, December 13, at 5:30 pm. Soup provided. If you’d like to help with the homeless outreach supplies, here’s a link to the Homeless Shopping List on Amazon.