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Encouragement

December Devotion: The Root of Jesse Comes

By 12/01/2020August 25th, 2021No Comments

Isaiah 11:10, “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.”

Our world groans and aches for a day where all will be made well. Not just our world, but our souls. Have you felt it? A longing deep inside you reminding you that this, this life is certainly not all you were made for. 

This passage from Isaiah 11 speaks of that day we long for, when we will be with Jesus in his glorious resting place. Jesus, the Root of Jesse, will be whom we rally around, people from all nations made new and whole in Jesus. Isaiah 11:6 describes it like this, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” (ESV) Can you imagine something more topsy-turvy than a young child leading wolves, leopards, and lions? The peace of God will rule our world one day, and this month we celebrate the goodness of God to include us in his great plan of redemption.

How can this be? Because the Root of Jesse came. Immanuel—God with us. Although we rejected God long ago and still struggle to surrender to his Lordship, God did NOT abandon us in our sin. Instead, he rescued us. In his grace and goodness, Jesus left the majesty of heaven and entered our wretched, wicked world to rescue us from sin, death, and separation from God. The Message adaptation says it like this in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” Immanuel—God with us.

That, my friends, is the Gospel. God with us. Let’s celebrate this Christmas season by rehearsing the Gospel. Our holy, righteous, mighty, wonderful, majestic God is with us. Among us. For us. Not because of anything we’ve done; not because we deserve it. Quite the opposite. We deserve much worse. BUT the Root of Jesse came! Hallelujah! Let his grace and goodness wash over you. Rehearse the Gospel.

And let’s share the hope we have by modeling the Gospel. Just as Jesus dwelled among humanity, may we boldly and graciously bring Jesus into our world. Let’s move the Gospel into our neighborhoods, and be with those who are far from God, just as our God is with us, always with us. Model the Gospel.

The Root of Jesse came, and He WILL come again. May we be ready and bring others with us to rally around Jesus on that great day.  

  1. Rehearse the Gospel: As you think about the Gospel, what are you thankful for?
  2. Model the Gospel: How can you move into your neighborhood with the good news of Jesus?

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