December 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The big event in December is, of course, Christmas, the date on which people traditionally remember that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small town five miles south of Jerusalem.

But there are really two comings of the Lord. The first one is remembered at Christmas. The second one is "near," the Bible assures us. If you are happy that Jesus came the first time, you should be overjoyed to know that he is coming again.

Christians cannot think of Christ's first coming, as a baby, without making ready for his coming as Lord.

You might say that the Bible has only one message: Jesus is coming! In Old Testament times people did not say that they were waiting for Jesus. They did not yet know his name. They were expecting a Savior they called "Son of David," or Messiah. Or they would simply say that they were waiting for the coming of the Lord. They looked forward to the day when God would set things straight in the world. They were always looking ahead, expecting what was to come.

The New Testament brings us Christ and all his benefits. Here we also learn that the complete revelation of God's kingdom involves two comings of Jesus: his coming in grace and his return in glory.

The message has not changed: Jesus is coming! And the people of the new covenant live just the way the people of the old covenant lived: always looking forward, always expecting what is coming.

Just as there is one Bible message—the coming of Jesus—there must be one response—readiness, faith!

In the midst of all the preparations for Christmas this month, we may not suppress the big question Jesus asked in Luke 18: When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

Let's live this month with gladness and soberness. We may enjoy what we receive—as long as we look forward to what is coming.

REFLECTIONS

How can we live this Christmas season—and always—in readiness and faith for the return of our Lord?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.