Christian A.C.T.S.: Digging Deeper~ 4th Advent Sunday

Is. 35:1-10:God will comfort his people and the people and the land will sing for joy.

Luke 1:47-55:Mary's song of praise to God. In her song, she speaks of how good God has been to those who worship Him including his people. For God has kept his promise to Abraham and his children.

Jas.5:7-11: Be patient until the Lord come again. Your examples of this patience is like a farmer who waits for his crops to be ready to harvest, or like the Prophets who suffered greatly but were patience. Lastly there is the patience of Job who lost so much and had health problems, but was patience. God blessed him for his patience in the end. Do not judge each other for we know not when our Judge, God is coming back. So live a holy life and don't give up hope.

Mat. 1:2-11:The generations of Jesus from Abraham to Jehoiachin which is the time that the people were carried off to Babylon.

God had made a promise to Abraham that he would be a Father of many children and that a great ruler would come through him(Gen. ). Abraham in deed became the Father of many including the 12 tribes of God's chosen people. But that promise did not keep his people from suffering in the hands of their enemies. We see that as we read about the generations that followed him. We also see that it affected Jesus family when we read his genealogy in Matthew 1:2-11 for it gives the line until his people were carried away to Babylon. During some of the times that the Israelites where suffering under other countries they often lost hope. So God would send Prophets to encourage them. One such prophet was Isaiah. In Isiah 35:1-10, Isiah is trying to encourage God people to not give up but to be patient and wait for God to turn things around for them and fulfill hid promise tot hem in due time. Mary knew that God was fulfilling that Promise through God baby that she now carried when she sang a song of praise to Him (Luke 1:47-55).

As we think on how Jesus was the fulfillment of God promise, not only to his people, but to all mankind. Let us also take to heart the words of the promise of Jesus' coming back to earth some day as James tells us in his book (Jas.5:7-11). And let us not be found growing weary, but ever patiently waiting on God to fulfill his promises to us. Today and in the future.

Challenge of the week:

This week. take the time to think on how God fulfill his promise of sending Jesus to earth, as that is why we have Christmas. Thanks God for fulfilling that promise. Then think of all the other promises that God has made to us in his Word, and b encouraged for as he kept the promise of Jesus , he will also keep other promises to you. Just be patient and wait for God to fulfill it.

Accomplishment of the week:

So how did thinking on God's faithfulness of keeping his promise of Jesus help you be willing to wait upon other promises in his Word this week?