Friends,

I wanted to share an Advent Devotional with you that I am writing in collaboration with my ministry at Spirit & Truth. This twice-a-week devotional will be a collection of writers connected to the ministry and I am honored to be one of them.

I will be sharing my thoughts with you via the blog, but I also wanted to give you the chance to signup for the devotional through Spirit & Truth.

Connect here to be a part of the Spirit & Truth Advent Devotional.

Don’t worry, if you don’t sign up I’ll still send you any of the content I create, and as always - I am deeply thankful to be on this journey with you!

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Matthew 8:5-10

Approach and Authority

One of the things the Lord has put on my heart this holiday season is the idea of how we approach Him. I am more and more convinced that Jesus wants me to show up physically in our relationship. That sounds strange, but one of the things I’m increasingly convinced of is that I can’t give Jesus authority in my life if I am not willing to approach the throne room with my physical self. Jesus cares about our physical being, He cares about the physical part of our relationship. That’s part of why He came in the flesh. The fact that God is incarnate is proof that Jesus not only wants to show up in our lives, but he cares that we seek him as well.

In the reading today we see the centurion do something that is sometimes difficult for people in leadership positions but is a great reminder for all of us this Advent season: the centurion comes to Jesus, and asks for help. The centurion knew where Jesus was, and he physically showed up to meet Him. Then, after showing up, the centurion gave the Lord the authority to do whatever He wanted. As a soldier the centurion understood what it meant, both to be under authority and over people as a person of authority. He recognized that Jesus was also a man of authority, and was worthy of his trust.

This Advent season I encourage you to wrestle with the lessons of the centurion: recognize Jesus’ authority, and approach him with trust.

Questions for reflection:

Where am I physically showing up to encounter Jesus?

Where have I made space for Jesus in my life?

What authority do I give Jesus to speak into my life?

How am I listening to the Holy Spirit?

Pray:

Dear Lord,

I know in the past year I haven’t always shown up for our relationship. I’ve skipped out on meeting with you, and haven’t given you the authority to speak fully in my life. Forgive me o Lord.

In the days of preparation for Christmas give me the courage to cut out the noise and approach you with full devotion. Please help me listen clearly to the ways in which you wish to speak into my life. Jesus, I come before you and I give you full authority as my Lord.

Amen.