For followers of Christ the joy of Christmas is in understanding the bigger picture. Watchful Waiting Joy is an attempt to help us focus our eyes on Truth and to intentionally apply it to life beyond Advent.
I am so glad you’ve joined me here. May you be blessed and spurred on as you journal your reflections on God’s gift of love to us.
Watchful Waiting Joy
Advent Bible Journaling Focus – Week Two
Expensive Love
My son has been working hard on an extravagant gift. He’s labored and toiled over it for hours, spent crazy amounts of money on it, and grown frustrated when his efforts didn’t produce quite the amazingness he envisioned. It is a pricey gift. He can hardly wait until Christmas when he will finally give the gift, see the surprise on the person’s face, and experience the joy of watching the person use it and even use it together.
I get the warm fuzzies at Christmastime, even today. It’s so peaceful in my house and it was snowing. The lights are beautiful and it’s fun to give and get gifts. But. I don’t want ever to forget the sacrifice of love that Jesus was even before time began. Even before He lay in the manger as a baby, the destiny of Jesus was the cross. He was already a sacrifice; the precious Lamb of God.
With tears streaming from his eyes, the pastor faithfully painted word pictures that began to form an understanding in my heart of the sacrifice of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ because of love. Henry Blackaby said in His book Experiencing the Cross that the quality of love God wants to see in you and me for Him and for each other depends on how deeply we understand God’s love for us.
God paid an unimaginable price for our sin so that we could be forgiven and cleansed. Jesus, that baby grown up, obediently paid love’s price for you and me. It was an incredible price – total separation from God the Father. Forsaken. Deep, dark most excruciating death.
This is expensive love. Extravagant, unbelievable, unimaginable love. Love which paid the necessary price so that we won’t ever have to experience that kind of death. The gift of love with warm, real, living blood.
What will you do with this indescribable gift today? How can you honor the gift and the giver?
Our precious Jesus, said this: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
Love for you and I cost Jesus everything. Should we not also offer love that cost us something?
Following the example of Jesus is expensive! But daily loving God and loving others in “denying self” (Matt. 16:24) ways is possible by the power of the Holy Spirit, one choice at a time.
Watchful Waiting Joy includes one devotional prompt for each week of Advent plus Christmas Eve and a surprise prompt at the end to close out the season. I might be more excited about that one than all of the rest! Each prompt includes a free printable to print and use in your Bible or journal as you process each prompt. The printable is original artwork created by me.
Special Note: If you would like to join me and a group of others on the Watchful Waiting Joy journey, subscribe to my email list here.
Links to the devotional prompt and downloadable printable along with an exclusive printable only for email subscribers are emailed each week of Advent.
Expensive Love – Advent Week Two Devotional (Printable Download)
Free Downloadable Printable (Click on the image below.)
And a preview of the exclusive printable available for email subscribers.
Click on the image below to sign up.
If you have any questions about the Advent Focus or problems with the files, please please please let me know!
Thanks for reading!
Blessings on a wonderful Advent season!
***All printables are for personal use ONLY and not for redistribution. Thank you!
Supplies Used in Mixed Media Original Images:
- Sharpie No Bleed Pen
- Hymn Pages
- Koi Watercolors
- Gold Embossing Tinsel from Personal Stamp Exchange
- UHU glue stick
- paint.net
- MS Publisher
- MS Word
- Canon ScanGear Scanner & software
Acknowledgements:
- All images are originals created by me except:
- Paint background on journaling card from pixelscrapper.com.
- Old hymn pages
- Font – Highline Script Font and Warrenson Script Font by CreativequbeDesign Studio
