Advent is a time we can refresh our amazement in the prophecy and arrival of Jesus the Messiah, growing closer to Him as we proclaim our longing for His coming again. We pray this devotional will challenge and remind you of the hope, joy, preparation, and love that we experience as we anticipate Christ’s birth.
The Wall
If the world really understood what Christians celebrate at Christmas, they would probably think we’re crazy. We celebrate the miracle that God came to us as a baby. What kind of God would leave his throne in Heaven for a manger?
Today, pray before you open God’s Word. Pray that your familiarity with the Christmas story would not keep you from the awe and wonder of such a miracle.
Read Joshua 5:13-15
What does the passage say that Joshua did when he saw the man standing before him? How did the man identify himself, and how did Joshua respond to this revelation?
Read Joshua 6:1-7
What did God command Joshua to do? What did God say to Joshua before he gave any instructions? When God says to Joshua, “I have given Jericho into your hand,” why does He speak in the past tense?
God’s instructions followed God’s promise.
Think about a significant task set before you. What are the promises and truths God gives us in His Word that speak to that task? What would it look like for you to hold onto these promises in faith so you can complete what God has instructed?
Read Romans 7:4-6
Do you think Joshua thought God’s instructions made sense? How precisely did Joshua obey the commands? What promises does God give us in these verses to help us obey His instructions?
Joshua trusted the Lord, did what the Lord said he should do, and the people believed Joshua and followed his instructions in faith. This was a great a victory God provided for them!
Sometimes when we face significant tasks set before us by God, we are tempted to strategize first. We strategize based on what makes the most sense to us to get the job done, but God has laid out what He wants of us in His Word. God wants us to first depend on prayer, pursue humility, love one another, and trust Him. All of these are more important than our strategies.
Because God is with us in our significant tasks, we are free to obey His instructions, knowing He will accomplish what He wants.
The amazing truth about Christmas is that Jesus, the Son of God, became a baby! This is far crazier than marching around a city to make the walls collapse. Christmas is a reminder that God accomplishes the most significant tasks in the strangest, most counter-intuitive, yet most perfect of ways.
This Jumpstart Advent series was written and produced by Park Community Church in Chicago, IL.
JumpstartCPC.com 
Really enjoying this series! It’s really been a real blessing. Thanks for sharing CPC staff!
We have so much to be grateful for during this Advent Season, and always!