Waiting for the Peace of God

While Janet takes a break from blog writing for the holidays, we hope you will enjoy an excerpt from her latest Advent devotional over the next few weeks. If you haven’t yet ordered your copy of Waiting for Christmas, we still have a few copies available. Order your copy here.

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Waiting for the Peace of God

Entry from December 3

The shepherds were in the field when a host of angels appeared praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). Peace and joy are important themes in our Christmas story.

During their four hundred years of waiting for the Messiah, the Jewish people yearned and prayed for peace. It was a difficult time in Israel under the Greco-Roman rulers. Some of the most difficult years occurred about halfway through the intertestamental period. According to the Museum of the Bible’s website,

“It was 167 BC, Mattathias the Hasmonean was a Jew and he was furious. The king who reigned over the region had sent his officers to Mattathias’s hometown in Judea. The officers were trying to force Mattathias, his five sons, and their neighbors to perform sacrifices to their gods. When another Jew stepped forward to make the sacrifice, Mattathias killed him on the altar. The king’s officer was next. Finally, Mattathias tore down the altar. The Hasmonean Revolt was born. Over a century earlier, Hellenistic forces had taken control of Judea and forced their culture and religion upon the people. According to the first book of Maccabees, one of the Hellenistic kings defiled the temple, forbade circumcision, and even set up altars to his gods. Some Jews went along with the changes. Others, like Mattathias, fought to remain faithful to the Law. The revolt is also known by the name Maccabee, after the most renowned of Mattathias’s sons, Judah the Maccabee (which means “Judah the hammer”). When Mattathias died, two years into the revolt, his sons carried on. In the end, the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and regained their freedom. The festival of Hanukkah celebrates the restoration of the temple. The family of Mattathias and Judah ruled until the rise of the Herods in 63 BC. The Maccabean revolt was seared into Jewish memory. It shaped the way first-century Jews thought about foreign powers and faithfulness to the Law (“The Story of the Maccabees,” Museum of the Bible, accessed June 27, 2025).”

While we celebrate the Messiah’s birth, many will celebrate the victory that Hanukkah recalls instead. Peace during the Christmas season is an important aim, but true peace isn’t found in the absence of troubles. God’s peace is experienced through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus spoke to his disciples saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

When the birth of Jesus was announced to the shepherds, the angels praised God, announcing his peace to those with whom God was pleased. The peace of Christmas is the peace of Christ that transcends the troubles of this world. Who do you know that needs the peace of Jesus this Christmas season?

Let’s pray for his peace to permeate our holiday with his joy and purpose. God has always fought for his children so they could live their best lives. His goal is to give us the peace that Jesus was born to provide. May this be a peace-filled day of great joy because you spend it faithfully, protected and loved through the holy presence of Christ.

Your secret place with God

This is a busy time of year for our family. In addition to the holidays, we have several birthdays to celebrate. I began speaking at our church last Wednesday night about this year’s Advent book, Waiting for Christmas, and realized that the holiday season is already in full swing. Now is a good time to focus on God’s plans for this year’s holidays.

My husband and I have enjoyed a season of “simplification” these past two years. We actually like the fact that we are a bit older now, and things don’t need to run at the frenzied pace of past years. God created us to need quiet in our lives. What better time for us to consider carving out some moments with our Father as the calendar begins to fill up, and the holiday “to-do list” grows longer.

How can we gear up for the upcoming holidays and maintain our quiet, peaceful moments with God?

Where is your secret place?

Jesus taught his disciples, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). 

Do you have a spot where you can go each day for the sole purpose of spending time with God? Pick a chair, a time, and make an appointment daily to sit with the Creator of the universe, your Father. 

What chair can you move to when the season gets busy that helps you turn off the world and listen to God? If you don’t have that spot, make that your early Christmas gift to yourself today.

Allow creation to speak to your soul 

I try to carve out quiet moments every day to spend time with God. I love the early morning hours. I have a spot where I can sit and watch the sunrise outside my back window. Almost every morning, I am blessed to witness the majesty of God spread across the sky. That quiet, peaceful time is often when I gain thoughts about something I will be teaching or writing that week. It is also a time when God brings people to my heart and mind whom I need to be praying for. When we witness and consider the greatness of God in his creation, we position ourselves to listen to his silent, all-powerful voice.

King David learned to hear God speak through creation. In Psalm 19:1–4, he wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words, no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out to all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

I picture David, as a young teenage boy, out in the fields with his sheep. David’s life was likely the result of those moments in the field, when he watched a sunrise or sunset and learned to trust the quiet, silent voice of God in his thoughts. David said those moments, “pour forth speech and reveal knowledge.”

Every morning and every night, we can witness the consistent, all-powerful character of God through a sunrise, sunset, or a miraculous display of the moon and the stars. The challenge is to turn off the world’s noise and distractions and experience God’s holy and powerful presence. And, according to King David, to open our thoughts up to his.

If we want to spend the holiday season with God, we will need to take time to sit in awe of his creation and turn our thoughts to his voice. 

God “rewards” the time you spend with him

Jesus said, “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). 

The God of the universe wants to spend time with us. He gave his Son that first Christmas day so that we could spend all of eternity with him in heaven. He watched Jesus suffer and die so that his salvation could perfect those who believed. Everything God has done in this world has been for the sake of our eternal relationship with him.

God molds our hearts and souls when we set aside moments to sit with him and listen. The wisdom, direction, and peace that result from those times are heavenly rewards for our day. When the schedule gets full, we need those times with God even more.

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27). The most important reward we gain from our quiet times with God is that voice. You can know the voice of Jesus and walk through this holiday season with his peaceful direction. 

That’s the reward of spending time with God and listening.

A busy week that just got blessed

I woke up really early this morning. Too early, or so I thought. I was staring out my back window, knowing the sun wouldn’t be rising for a couple of hours. I have a busy week and a lot on my mind. I began to consider my schedule, and then I began to consider my blessings. 

As I sat in my “quiet place,” God came and sat with me. Now, after enjoying that time with him, I am done writing this week’s article. Even as I type, I know that these words were not just for my sake. As we gear up for the holiday season, we need to remember how much we need God’s voice, our great reward now and one day, eternally.

I hope you find, decorate, and make comfortable a new “sweet spot” in your home and schedule regular times to sit with your Father. And I hope that your time spent in that spot will become your favorite time each day. 

This article is the result of my very early, extended time with God this morning. I know I have been “rewarded” with his thoughts, and I hope they will become a blessing for all of you as well.

Have a wonderful week, as you sit in your “secret place” with your Creator. 

Choose “ye today” for your holiday

If you want a joy-filled, blessed holiday season, there is a choice that you might want to make today. 

The rush begins earlier each year. This year, the Halloween candy didn’t even make it to the half-price baskets before the shelves began filling up with green and red merchandise. There is a Thanksgiving shelf somewhere, but it’s probably not front and center. Thanksgiving and Christmas are one season now. 

Last week I wrote about not missing your chance to live gratefully toward God, but this week I want to talk about living joyfully with Jesus. 

A choice every Christian must make 

I first learned the message of Joshua 24:14–15 from a plaque that hung in our kitchen. It said, “Choose ye this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” I grew up with that verse, but I learned the context for those words at some point. 

The battles to take the promised land were over and now it was time for the people of Israel to settle into their home and establish their lives. Joshua made a wonderful speech to the family leaders, ending it with the choice he had made that he encouraged all the other families to make as well.  

Joshua told them to choose today whom they would serve in their new land. They would either choose to serve God each day or they would end up serving something less. As you consider that ancient wisdom, think about how to apply that truth to your own life today. 

Every Christian must choose to serve the Lord, or later they will realize they have come to serve something or someone less. 

The most common mistake

Most Christians want to live right with God. We want to make choices our Lord can honor and bless. Most of us make good choices, but often those “good” choices end up being “lesser” choices than we were called to make. 

I often say, “Satan doesn’t really mind if Christians are good people. He does mind when we choose to be godly.” 

A common mistake we make as Christians is to define good things as godly. How do we know the difference?

When are you making a godly choice? 

There is an obvious answer to that question. When we are faced with a circumstance that Scripture speaks to in a direct way, then obedience is our godly choice. 

  • We should remain faithful to our spouses, both physically and emotionally.
  • We should honor our parents.
  • We should worship the one true God and live with reverence to his holiness.

Each day we have choices to make that aren’t specifically answered in God’s word. 

  • Should I accept that new job and move to a different city?
  • Should I speak to that friend about a sin or just pray for God to lead?
  • Should I spend this money or give it as an offering?
  • Should I end this friendship or just limit the influence?
  • Should I serve on this committee at church or be more available to my family?

How do we know when our daily decisions are a godly choice? There is a clear answer, but it isn’t always easy to discern. If we make our daily decisions out of a sense of serving others, we might miss an opportunity to serve God. 

Christians often make good decisions that serve other people. In fact, I think Satan tempts Christians to do that. If we stay busy serving our friends, our families, our jobs, and even our churches, we can miss the calling to serve God. How do we know if God has called us to a committee, a project, or any other opportunity to serve him? 

The best answer I know is a difficult choice to maintain. It is the message of Galatians 5:25: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” If we want to make godly choices, we will probably need to ignore some good ideas along the way. 

What does God want for your holiday season? 

Only God can give you that answer. If we understand that one important choice, the other decisions are more likely to serve God rather than something or someone less. 

I recently taught on my Advent book for this year, The Gift of Immanuel. Isaiah said that the Messiah’s “name” would be Immanuel but later said “his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). The angel would tell Joseph to name his Son “Jesus.” 

Cruden’s Concordance lists 198 names or titles given to Jesus. All of those are an aspect of the one name Immanuel. Immanuel means “God with us.”  

When you became a Christian and received the Holy Spirit of God, Immanuel came to be within you. There are several reasons God wanted to give his Spirit to his children. We can’t live godly lives without his Spirit’s direction.  

What does God want for your holiday season? 

You don’t know until you ask. You won’t know, or know how to obey, unless you “keep in step with the Spirit.” 

Choose “ye today” for your holiday

The joy we all look for from our Christmas holiday is one choice away. Joy is the gift of heaven, given to those who walk with God in obedience to his will and word. Today, and every day of the holiday season, will be changed by the choice to “serve God as you walk in his Spirit.” 

We can ask God for ears to hear his calling. We can ask God for discernment to serve him before anything or anyone else. We can ask God for the ability to hear his voice, his commands, and his encouragement above all the other noisy moments in the month ahead. 

Joy will follow our obedience to his leadership. That is the difference between a holiday filled with good things and a holiday filled with God’s joy. 

“Choose ye today” whom you want to serve. Then, make that same choice for tomorrow. Your holiday season can be good, bad, mediocre, or godly simply because you make that daily choice. 

Let’s all choose right now to serve God this busy Christmas season. I pray your memories of Christmas 2023 will include a list of his joy-filled blessings as a result.

Why should we consider Christmas before Halloween?

The kids are planning their costumes for Halloween. The news is already discussing the shortage of turkeys and the cost of this year’s Thanksgiving meal. The airlines are scheduling holiday travel and the big box stores are already lining their aisles with Christmas trees. We have reached that time of year when one holiday merges right into the next. 

It is the “most wonderful time of the year” in many ways. 

That said, there are many people who have arrived in this country who will want to celebrate Christmas but might not have a home or the means to do that this year. The entire population of Ukraine is likely to have the most difficult Christmas season of their lives. 

Every Christmas season has its own unique stories, but every Christmas season is truly about the original Christmas story. That is why we should consider Christmas now, before Halloween.

These holidays are something most people have in common

Embedded in this long holiday season will be a political election that promises controversy. Some of the issues making our news may also gather around our Thanksgiving tables and Christmas celebrations.  

It will be easy to know the things we disagree about, but what do we have in common? 

I was outside of a Trader Joe’s supermarket this week and saw a sign that stated their company values. It said things like integrity, kindness, courtesy, quality, friendly, helpful, and top quality. It struck me when I looked at the sign how much most people have in common. Who doesn’t appreciate high standards and great character? 

We all have a lot of differences these days, and it was good to realize that we also have a whole lot in common. 

The holiday season is a great time to remember that most of us share similar goals in life, even if we believe there are different paths to reaching those goals. It might help if we would focus more on what we have in common than what we consider to be our differences. 

“Happy” Halloween?

I like the pumpkins but not the skeletons. I enjoy the kids in cute costumes but not the adults who scare the kids with what they chose to wear. I probably wouldn’t mind Halloween if it were celebrated as it was intended, the eve of All Saints’ Day. The saints are worth celebrating, not Satan. 

A verse for Halloween: “O you who love the Lᴏʀᴅ, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10). A happy Halloween is remembering we live to honor the saints and celebrating the fact Christians are delivered from all things evil or wicked. 

A day for thanksgiving

I have always loved Thanksgiving. I love the food, the football, and the idea that we should take a day to be truly thankful for the lives we are blessed to live. I am thankful for my family, my friends, and mostly for the faith we share. God deserves our praise and our expressions of gratitude. It is good for our souls to be thankful. 

My favorite verse for Thanksgiving is: “Oh give thanks to the Lᴏʀᴅ, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34). 

God is good and deserves our deepest gratitude. 

A Christmas about Christ

Every year I am determined to celebrate Christmas with greater simplicity. I sometimes wish for the holidays I see pictured in movies. Busy schedules, various cities, and diverse families often don’t blend during the holidays. In many ways, Christmas seems more about scheduling than celebrating. 

But one thing holds firm. Christmas is the story of Christ. 

Christmas is about “Joy to the World” that arrived on one “O Holy Night.” 

Christmas is about the “Angels from the Realms of Glory” who announced that “Love Came Down at Christmas.” 

Christmas is about how “Good Christian Men, Rejoice” and the time “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” 

Mostly, Christmas is about “The First Noel” and the “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” that “The Little Drummer Boy” worshiped.  

Every Christmas is celebrated with important traditions that just need a few adjustments each year. Even in changing seasons, the theme of Christmas will always be the same: “O Come All Ye Faithful” to praise, sing, and pray, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” 

Why should we consider Christmas before Halloween?

This year’s Advent Book is a second printing of The Songs Tell the Story, first published for Christmas 2019. I wrote it as a reminder that the great hymns of Christmas tell us the true and timeless story of our Christmas season.  

We sold out early in 2019, and many people expressed a desire to purchase more copies than we had to share. This year, we are taking preorders so that, hopefully, everyone who wants a copy can receive one. As always, many of our donors will be sent a copy as our gift, but if you would like additional copies, you can preorder those now. 

Why should we consider Christmas before Halloween? 

Because, while all the holidays are special, Christmas and Easter are truly “holy-days” for Christians. 

Our ministry wants to help you keep your Christmas holiday focused on the pure story of our Savior’s birth. The Songs Tell the Story is something you and your family can share this Christmas season, and we hope it will bless your holiday. 

The Apostle John said that Jesus, “the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Jesus is the “light of the world,” and sharing the celebration of his birth is something most people have in common. I hope this year’s Advent book, The Songs Tell the Story, will help you spend time with Christ each day of your holiday season. 

Let the holiday season begin! And may the holiday be a holy-day. 

Preorder The Songs Tell the Story here. 

 

P. S. While supplies last, you may request both the adult and children’s editions of The Songs Tell the Story for your donation of $50 or more.

Expect His Arrival

We give the innkeeper a hard time every Christmas.

He is the sermon illustration for “not making room for Christ.” But, truthfully, he did make room. He gave Mary the best he could offer. He made room for her in his stable.

Jesus was born in a cave because the other people at the inn wouldn’t “give up” their spot. The innkeeper didn’t expect to serve God that day, but he did.

What They Didn’t Expect

Mary was a virgin, planning to be a bride. She didn’t expect to be pregnant before that was even possible. Elizabeth was old and childless. She didn’t expect she would ever be pregnant, but she was. Joseph was a faithful man and didn’t expect the complications that Mary’s child would bring to his life.

The innkeeper didn’t expect a woman in labor would show up asking for a room. Mary didn’t expect to give birth in a cave. The shepherds didn’t expect to see a great light and encounter angels that night. Mary didn’t expect to see those shepherds show up the next morning. Herod didn’t expect the magi would look past him when searching for a king.

John didn’t expect to see Jesus walk up and ask to be baptized. The apostles didn’t expect Jesus to ask them to abandon their plans and follow him. Mary and Martha didn’t expect Jesus to arrive, or they would have had the meal ready. The blind man didn’t expect to see, and the paralyzed man didn’t expect to get off his mat and walk.

The Pharisees didn’t expect Jesus to eat with the sinners. The people holding stones in their hands didn’t expect Jesus to write in the sand. Joseph of Arimathea didn’t expect to give his tomb away—and he surely didn’t expect to get it back!

I didn’t expect to find a Bible tract in the park one day that explained how to make Jesus my Lord. I didn’t expect I would marry a preacher. I didn’t expect we would leave our church to begin a ministry. I didn’t expect this life that I lead—and I’m so glad I’m not leading the life I expected.

Expect the Unexpected

I don’t know what to expect of Jesus in 2019. The only expectation I should have is for Jesus to surprise me next year as well.

The Bible says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:11). Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” We have God’s word that He will keep his word, and God’s word tells us to expect the unexpected.

In what ways is Jesus surprising you today? Or is Jesus doing what you have “expected” of him? Is your life filled with your plans or his?

Jesus told his disciples that his second coming would be unexpected. Why, after all these centuries, do people think they can guess when Jesus will return? Why has Jesus chosen to surprise everyone—for centuries?

Make Room

One of the last things Jesus told his disciples is the same thing he would tell his disciples today. Jesus said, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). He finished that lesson by teaching his disciples to be “faithful and wise” servants because that is who the Father will bless.

The only time Jesus ever announced his “coming” was the day he rode into Jerusalem to die for our sins. He announced his arrival to ensure his departure. The rest of history is a list of his “unexpected” arrivals. Are you ready for a few surprises in your Christmas holiday? Will you make room for him even if you don’t “have room” in your plans?

I continue to believe that one of the most important things to understand about Jesus is that we cannot understand Jesus. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and these earthly minds of ours can never comprehend his majesty or predict his plans. Our calling is not to understand Jesus; it is to accept him in faith.

The innkeeper made room for Jesus that day—he gave the best he could offer. Jesus will surprise you this Christmas too. Are you prepared to clean up a mess and make a place for him in your holiday?

Jesus said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20). Expect him to arrive.

In fact, he’s already at the door.

Our Christmas Baby

There is truly something miraculous about holding a newborn baby, especially when that baby belongs to your family.

Wells Denison was born last week, and he is already loved and adored by his family. He came into this world weighing in at eight pounds, twelve ounces and is twenty-one inches long.

The Denisons are feeling very blessed this Christmas season.

The First Christmas Baby

My thoughts naturally go to that cave in Bethlehem where our Lord was born. How much did Jesus weigh when he was born? Did he cry at his first breath too?

The person who wrote “Away in the Manger” and said “no crying he makes” wasn’t there. I’m sure Jesus spent some time crying because that is what healthy babies do. Crying isn’t a “sin,” so I have a feeling Jesus kept his parents up at night as well.

I write an Advent book each year, and I always have unanswered questions about the birth of Christ. The biggest question each year is always, “Why did God choose to enter our world as a baby?”

The best theological answer to that question is found in Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Jesus came into this world as a baby because we do. Jesus came to live an entirely human life so that he could die for every sin.

Even though I know that is the theology of the Advent, I still wonder why. God didn’t have to save us that way. He is the Creator of all things and has the power to accomplish our salvation any way he chooses. Why send our Messiah to the world as an infant?

Even as I ask the question, I sense his answer.

A Glimpse of Easter at Christmas

As I held my new grandson, Wells, I held a glimpse of God’s perfect will for our lives. The only thing Wells needs is to be loved and cared for. He is completely dependent on others to care for him. Without his mom and dad, he wouldn’t have life. Without our heavenly Father and his plan for our salvation, we wouldn’t have life either.

The baby in the manger would grow up to become the sinless man, able to take away the sins of the world. He grew up like all of us, tempted in every respect as we are, yet remained without sin. Jesus would one day tell a Pharisee named Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

As I held Wells, I was reminded of what “born again” means.

When God saved our souls through Jesus, we were reborn in his eyes. We became like a newly born, innocent, perfect baby: without sin. We are completely dependent on our “Parent” for our salvation. We would die eternally without Jesus. A Christmas baby would become an Easter sacrifice because he was always a “sinless lamb.”

Wells will be two one day and throw a toy in anger. (Hopefully not at his brother!) Wells will make his choices, both good and bad, and I am already praying for the moment he understands that he will need to choose to be “born again.” Our Christmas baby will need to find salvation in the only perfect Christmas baby ever born.

But, for now, Grandma is going to join hearts with Mary, as she held her perfect baby.

Cradling Perfection

There are moments in life a person will “ponder” forever.

There is a lifetime of potential that we cradle in our arms and hold in our hearts and minds. There will be first steps, first words, and other milestones. My prayer is there will be declarations of faith, baptisms, moments of divine calling, and the work of the ministry for each of my grandchildren.

This Christmas I will hold my newborn grandson and think about what Mary pondered in her heart. All babies are miracles, but she knew hers was also a Messiah. She just couldn’t know what that would ultimately mean for her and each of us.

Spend a few moments this Christmas “cradling” the infant Messiah in your arms. He is the only child born who lived every day of his life with holy perfection. That Christmas baby is the sinless lamb who perfected each of us for heaven.

All babies are miracles, but only Jesus is our infant Messiah.