God Wants Merciful Hearts -Advent 10 (2019)

Ingratitude abounds in our culture. Too often, we seem only to possess an appetite for more, more, more, never a refined “less.” Hearts which know God and have known mercy from Him ought to show mercy towards others. It’s as simple as that. God has simple things on His Christmas List.

Think about it:

In what ways are mercy and thankfulness connected?
Read Hosea 6:6. Why aren’t sacrifices good enough? What makes a sacrifice a matter of the heart?
Read Matthew 18:21-35 (The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant). Why is mercy a matter of the heart, of gratitude, and of knowledge?

What God wants for Christmas is…mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).

Dear Lord, particularly at this season of the year, help me to take a step back and look at the big picture. If my doing things for you was what service was all about, if my checking boxes pleased You as our bean-counter-in-heaven, all this hustle would be worth it. We thank You, however, that what You really want is for us to recognize the mercy You’ve given us, the wonderful gift of being able to approach You in Christ, to learn from Him and His Word, to be instructed and guided by Your Holy Spirit, and we might have changed hearts to reflect Your mercy. Help me to be grateful. Help me to seek You and desire to know You more than anything. To taste and see how sweet Your mercy is. We praise You! We thank You! Amen.

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Join me beginning December 1, 2019 by signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page to receive these daily devotionals. Let’s enjoy exploring what might be on God’s Christmas list.

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:

Last year’s Advent Devotional Series (2018) Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.