King Jesus

I have been given permission by my wife, Ximena, to post this advent devotional that she wrote for this month. Enjoy!

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
~ Isaiah 40:3 (NKJV)
[also read Matthew 3:1-12]
Such a vivid picture is painted by the prophet Isaiah, describing a single voice in a thirsty, forsaken land. Yet despite its desolate setting, this voice – revealed in Matthew to be none other than John the Baptist – proclaimed a message of hope. A king was coming!

According to the Archaeological Study Bible, when a king went on a journey, he would send out a delegation in advance to make sure the roads along his route were accessible. Clearing the way for the king was no small thing. We’re talking road construction here! People in any and every town along the way suddenly got busy. This included removing obstacles, filling in deep ruts made by heavy carts, and repairing potholes. They wanted the king’s passage to be as smooth and welcoming as possible!

In much the same way, John the Baptist was sent to declare the coming of the King of kings – the Lord Jesus Christ. But John’s message went deeper than road construction, transcending the tangible to the supernatural. His focus was on the heart as he urged others to “prepare the way for the Lord”.

It is during Advent (derived from the Latin word for arrival) that Christians celebrate the arrival of Jesus into the world that first Christmas. It is also a season to ponder the great “mystery of faith”, that “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”

With this in mind, how then do we prepare for our King’s arrival? Looking back at verse two of our reading passage in Matthew, John’s message was clear: “‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”’ (Matt. 3:2, NKJV, emphasis added.)

If we truly want our hearts to be prepared for Jesus, we must repent. This means having true regret over our sins (not just the consequences), and making things different. Just as the road had to be altered in order to facilitate the king’s coming, so must our hearts be changed!

There is no substitute for genuine repentance. Take some serious time to examine your heart. Is there lack of trust? Unforgiveness? Inaction? Bitterness? Flippancy? Turn it over to God, ask Him to forgive you, and let Him do His work. Then, with our hearts renewed, we can say with joyful anticipation, “Come, King Jesus!”

Prayer: Lord, I give you my heart. Make it into what You would have it to be. Amen.

“‘Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.’” (Matt. 3:8, NIV)
(by Ximena Lindsey)