Advent Calendar: Day Two

Hello Word Life Family! 

Happy Monday and Happy Day 2 of the Advent Blog! 

Now there are only 23 Days of encouragement, scripture, warm stories, tips and more left of our advent and that means only 23 Days left until Christmas! Our theme this year is “Christ at The Center of Your Home.” Be sure to check in each day to see the blog released! 

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For day two I’d like to share with you a piece of revelation knowledge the Lord shared with me. In this current season of my life I’ve been believing and meditating on the Word and really pressing into the Lord with more urgency. 

My desire is to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) and to delight in Him fully (Psalm 37:4).  As I’ve been meeting with Him I’ve been intentionally seeking and knocking for the blessing of a home; I know just how much my Heavenly Father delights to give good gifts and calls us to pray without ceasing  (Matthew 7:7-11, Luke 12:32-34, Matthew 6:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17)! Specifically a nice warm, clean, and spacious home for all of my many stuffed animals as pictured above! 

I’d like to have my own home full of light and peace. I’m a big movie watcher and K-drama fan and I’ve imagined sitting on my beautiful couch, watching a K-drama or “The Princess and The Frog,”  on a HUGE Smart TV with sparkling water and a bowl of popcorn in my hands! Ah, what bliss, such perfect peace! I’m definitely going to continue believing and receiving my home and hopefully will get to share with you when it happens! 

As I was praying the Lord took me to Luke 10:5-6.  I’ve been listening to an incredible audio Bible titled “The Word of Promise Audio Bible,” it’s read in the New King James Version. I’ve been using Audible to listen (Audible please sponsor me- I’m such a fan hehe!) It brings to life the Bible with sound effects, voice changes, music and powerful chapter introductions. It makes studying the Bible more exciting, I feel as if I’m getting an insider scoop to the way and times of both the New and Old Testament ages! I’ve included a link to the Audio Bible above if you’d like to check it out- I highly encourage you to! 

Luke 10:5-6 in the NKJV Bible reads: “But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.” ‭‭(https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.10.5-6.NKJV) 

I found this verse so intriguing. In our young women’s Bible study group “Devoted,” we are in a series titled: “We are devoted to…,” where we discuss a topic we are devoted to from a Christian worldview. Our last meeting of the year we discussed being devoted to peace. We discovered in scripture we are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9, Romans 12:18, Hebrews 12:14, Colossians 3:15). 

Because our theme this year is “Christ at the Center of Your Home,” I found it so fitting to be in a season where having a physical home is so important to me. Even more so knowing that Jesus charged the disciples not only to go out and preach but to go into homes and bless it with peace. I believe it’s more than reasonable to assume Jesus is referring to HIS Peace. 

John 14:27 in the NKJV reads: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”(https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.14.27.NKJV) 

In the same chapter Jesus says in verse 23: 

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”(https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.14.23.NKJV)

WOW! Did you catch that? OUR HOME? Imagine the almighty triune God making His home with ME, US, YOU?  Much better than popcorn and a movie! Isn’t that imagery so beautiful? I sure think so, especially knowing how unworthy we are to commune with Him and how much he desires to commune with us! (Revelation 3:20, 2 Peter 3:9, Psalm 100:3, John 10:11-30) 

So making Christ the CENTER of our homes looks like not only drawing near to Him, seeking Him first, loving His people as we love ourselves, but also going into each other’s homes as a “son of peace,” and blessing it. Carrying the mantle of the Lord as a robe of honor- taking it as a housewarming gift- extending it from yourself to others - leaving HIS peace as He left it with us. 

How incredible! 

As you’re meditating on how to make Christ the Center of YOUR home, be thinking also what that looks like for the son and daughter of peace around you, and of course your neighbor! Not sure who your neighbor is?; Read Luke 10:29-37! 

He who is our peace, gave us peace to give out. If we love Him we must feed His sheep. We must head to the charge of being peacemakers and sharing His love! We must love each other as He loves us! (Ephesians 2:14-22, John 14:15-17, John 21:15-17, Matthew 22:36-40, John 13:34-35) 

As you seek to make Christ the center of your home He will make His home in you- leave his peace and call you to continue carrying Him with you and sharing Him! What a powerful concept to understand!

Ephesians 3:17-21 in the The Passion Translation adds to this beautifully, “Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God! Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!" (https://bible.com/bible/1849/eph.3.17-21.TPT) 

Not sure how to have peace or love? Take a look at what’s available for you in these scriptures and know it takes remaining in Him- to bear fruit! ( Can you tell I’m a bit of a scripture nerd? hehe) 

• Romans 5:1 
• John 12:26 
• John 15:4-9 
• Galatians 5:22-26 
• 1 John 4:19 
• John 3:16-18 
• Hebrews 10:24-25 

Let’s take a look back at a few verses and then on in Ephesians. Ephesians 3:14-21 in the NKJV says,” “from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

(https://bible.com/bible/114/eph.3.15-21.NKJV)

This scripture is revealing just what happens when Christ really is our center! Strength, grounded love, the fullness of God- incredible! 

Thinking about this and the call for peace makes me think of what  Psalms 1:3 (NKJV)  says about a righteous man. “He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” (https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.1.3.NKJV) 

Fruit in its season. Not fruit literally but Fruit as the Holy Spirit gives (Galatians 5:22). 

As we’re counting down the days to Christmas my prayer for you all is that you would remain in the Father and the Son and be firmly planted in righteousness so you may bear fruit in each season keeping step with the Spirit of God so you may not only understand His love but draw from the Spirit’s fruit-  love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And that you- loving God with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind (Deut. 6:5), give peace as you receive it, just as Your Heavenly Father gives good gifts! 

May this winter season be one of a plentiful harvest of fruit in your life! May God make His dwelling place in you- making His home in your heart as you make Him Lord and the center of your Home! 

I’ll leave you with this: Joshua 24:15.

Blessings to you and yours! Only 23 days to go! 

Love and Christmas Milk and Cookies,

Tatiana Minnifield