Forth Candle–We are getting close.

December 22, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

The fourth candle stands for love. That deep Agape kind of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love endures misfortunes and troubles. It perseveres bravely with patience. Love is slow to anger or to punish. True love acts with kindness. Love does not burn with anger or envy. A person acting out of agape love doesn’t go around bragging or building themself up. This love behaves itself in a respectable manner; it is not selfish. This love is slow to anger, and does not keep track of the things that have been done wrong. Agape does not approve when unjust things happen to others, but, rather, celebrates the truth. Agape endures everything. The person expressing agape love shows trust, hope and faithfulness.

We know a few things regarding God and love.

We know that God is love. (1 John 4:8)

We know that God loved us.

John 3:16 ¹⁶: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

Jesus, who was worshipped by angels, stepped down from heaven to take the form of a simple baby. Think about how helpless a baby is. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords allowed himself to become totally dependent. He humbled himself in true agape love.

The man who grew from the baby walked the earth – not as a mighty ruler – but as a poor teacher. He cared for the outcasts.

Then, without cause, he allowed Himself to become a sacrifice for our sins. He suffered torture and disgrace for our sake – always with you and I on his mind.

Jesus demonstrated what Agape love looks like.

Prayer: Dear Lord forgive me for not loving with Agape love. I cannot love with complete sacrificial love without you. Please love through me.

Mediation: Think of examples in normal life when you have seen Agape love shown from one person to another.

Action: Write my thoughts about how much God loved me to be willing to leave heaven and take a human form for me. The bible makes it clear that if I were the only lost sheep Jesus would have come just for me.

Luke 15

³And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

⁴What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

⁵And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

If Jesus loved me enough to step down from heaven to save me, and all He asks of me is to love His sheep, shouldn’t I make it my highest priority?

Christmas · Christmas Traditions

Fourth Candle = Love

December 24, 2012December 24, 2012 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

The fourth candle stands for love. That deep Agape kind of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

We know a few things regarding God and love.

We know that God is love. (1 John 4:8)

We know that God loved us.

John 3:16 ¹⁶: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

The man who grew from the baby walked the earth – not as a mighty ruler – but as a poor teacher. He cared for the outcasts.

Then, without cause, he allowed Himself to become a sacrifice for our sins. He suffered torture and disgrace for our sake – always with you and I on his mind.

Jesus demonstrated what Agape love looks like.

Journal Exercise

Identify examples of Agape love you have seen.

Identify times you have loved with agape love.

Write your thoughts about how much God loved you to be willing to leave heaven and take a human form for you. The bible makes it clear that if you were the only lost sheep Jesus would have came just for you.

Luke 15

³And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

⁴What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

⁵And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Christmas · Christmas Traditions

Season of Love

December 10, 2012 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

Research the meaning of the advent candles and you will find slightly different meanings for the candles. For the most part, the candles represent similar concepts presented in different ways. But the second candle has a wide variation of meanings attributed to it.

One meaning for this candle is love and I choose to focus on this one. Why? Because I believe the whole season of Christmas –Advent, Christmas Day, the 12 days of Christmas –everything about this season has to do with Love. We could call it the Season of Love.

Christmas starts with God loving us.

^{John 3:16}For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

He gave us the ultimate gift out of love. And because He loved us so much we love Him.

1 John 4 ¹⁹We love him, because he first loved us.

Jesus says if we love Him that we should keep His commands. And what does Jesus command.

John 15

¹²This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Christmas is the celebration of the day God showed us how much He loved us by sending his Son. Jesus lived the perfect life and then died on the cross for our sins all out of love. We love God because He first loved us and what does the object of our love request of us? He asks that we love one another.

Exercise

Do you love others in your life, not just your family, but the strangers who pass your way?

Do you love as Christ loved you?

Write your thoughts about God’s love for you, and what it means to love someone as Christ loves you.

Christmas · Christmas Traditions

Our Hope

December 4, 2012December 4, 2012 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

Several Eastern Orthodox Churches practice a time of fasting for forty days prior to the Nativity. Western Churches include the four Sundays prior to Christmas as a period of preparation called Advent.

In the middle ages, they started the idea of using candles in a wreath to symbolize this time of preparing the believer’s heart. The wreath contains three purple and one rose candle. A purple candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent. This represents our hope in the promises of God.

For just as God promised a baby would be born of a virgin, Christ has promised to return again.

^{Isaiah 7:14}Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

And God kept his promise

Luke 1:27
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and thevirgin‘s name was Mary.

In fact, the birth of Christ fulfilled hundreds of prophecies regarding the Messiah. God’s faithfulness in keeping his promises to such perfection in the birth of Christ provides the foundation of our hope both in the promise of salvation through the blood of Christ and that one day our Lord will break the eastern sky and return to earth.

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Exercise

Do you hope for Jesus to return? Or are you actually leery of the idea?

What promises of God do you have hope in?

Set up a wreath in your house and light the purple candle. Remember the promises of God. It doesn’t have to be Sunday. This is about preparing your heart. Write down promises of God that you specifically hold special and re-read them each day this week reminding yourself that God keeps His promises.