Tag Archives: advent

Bible Gleanings

Better Than Santa | Bible Gleanings for Advent | December 14-15, 2024

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Santa Claus is slightly judgmental. He only brings presents to good boys and girls. Those who misbehave are on the naughty list and will receive only coal in their stockings. As J. Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie wrote in Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town: “He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.” Only youngsters most deserving of gifts can expect to find presents underneath the tree.

Jesus is the polar opposite of Santa: He gives the greatest gift to those who are the least deserving. He came to grant salvation and eternal life to evil people, not good people. As He Himself said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Furthermore, He came to erase your name from the “naughty list” and write it in His book, the “Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). 

The fact that shepherds were the first to hear the good news of Jesus’ birth embodies Christ’s mission to save the undeserving (Luke 2:8-13). The glad tidings were announced by the exalted angels of heaven, not to kings or emperors, but to some of the most insignificant people in Judean society. Shepherds were thought to be insignificant and contemptible. Jews considered them to be unclean, deceitful, and uneducated. Nonetheless, they were the first to hear the wonderful news that the Savior had been born.

And the Gospels reinforce the idea that Jesus came for the low-ranking people of the world. The first disciples were fishermen. Jesus healed social outcasts: lepers, paralytics, and the demon-possessed. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He cared for widows and the sexually immoral. There is no question about it—Jesus came to save the least qualified.

You do not have to be outstandingly competent to receive His gift of eternal life. The Lord Jesus will grant salvation to you, no matter who you are or what you have done. Eternal life can be yours even if you are sexually immoral, idolatrous, adulterous, greedy, or addicted (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Jesus is the significant Savior who came for insignificant people. That’s another reason why Jesus is better than Santa.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Let It Snow | Bible Gleanings for Advent | December 7-8, 2024

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Nothing is more enchanting than waking up to a blanket of snow covering the neighborhood on Christmas morning. Nearly everyone dreams of a white Christmas because snow makes it feel like Christmas. Without snow, there are no snowmen, snowball fights, or “dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh.” Christmas and snow go together like hot cocoa and marshmallows. 

Snow is also a biblical symbol for righteousness and purity. Snow was the purest form of white to the Jews—nothing was as perfect and pure. Not to mention, the fluffy flakes covered the filth and dirt of the earth. It is no wonder that people in Scripture sought to be as pure as snow, such as David, who prayed, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). The prophet Daniel also used this imagery to describe God who is uncompromisingly pure and holy: “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow” (Daniel 7:9a).

The Lord reminded His people in Isaiah 1:18 that they were not as white as snow: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Their sins were like “scarlet,” which is as red as red can be. They were stained, and the sin that colored their lives needed to be washed away. And God promised that they could be made white like snow if they turned to Him in repentance (cf. vv. 19-20). Despite being engulfed in sin’s filth, they could be snow-white by the Lord’s thorough washing. 

You also need the Lord to cleanse you of sin. Paradoxically, the blood of Jesus Christ is the only sufficient means of being purified from sin’s crimson stain. As John the apostle said, “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7b). His death makes you whiter than snow in the sight of God because He clothed Himself in the filthy rags of your sin and, in exchange, gives you the white robes of His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). You receive this cleansing when you repent of your sins and trust completely in Christ alone for your salvation (Acts 17:30; Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Unfortunately, sin will still make you muddy every now and then. And Jesus will continue to wash you when it does. That is why, whenever you sin, you must plead the words of James Nicholson’s hymn, “Whiter Than Snow”: 

“Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,

I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet;

By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow,

Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, christmas, devotions

Miracles in the Mundane | Bible Gleanings for Advent | November 30-December 1, 2024

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Miracle on 34th Street is a classic Christmas film that families have cherished since its premiere in 1947. “Kris Kringle,” a kind-hearted elderly man, is hired to play Santa Claus by the local Macy’s, and he gradually persuades New Yorkers that he is the real Santa Claus. At first, little Susie is reluctant to believe in Santa Claus because her mother raised her not to. “You’re just a nice old man with whiskers, like my mother said. And I shouldn’t have believed you,” Susie contended, believing the department store Santa to be a fraud.

But after Kris Kringle proves himself to be the embodiment of Santa Claus, even her mother eventually admits, “I was wrong when I told you that, Susie. Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” And, ordinary New Yorkers learned that there is nothing wrong with believing in extraordinary things—they might even be right in front of your eyes.

Mary and Joseph eventually understood this, too. Everything appeared normal as they traveled to Bethlehem to pay taxes for the census (Luke 2:1-3). It was an ordinary trip to an ordinary place to conduct ordinary business. However, God was accomplishing something extraordinary right before their eyes. By His providence, the Lord used an ordinary decree to bring them to Bethlehem, the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah.

The prophet Micah foretold that the Christ would be born there: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days (Micah 5:2). Micah’s prophecy was in jeopardy, however, because Mary was on the verge of childbirth in Nazareth—not Bethlehem (Luke 2:4). Thus, to fulfill this critical prophecy, God stirred in Caesar’s heart to issue a census requiring Jews to return to their homeland to pay taxes. And Joseph’s hometown just so happened to be Bethlehem. In accordance with biblical prophecy, Mary’s water broke when they arrived at Bethlehem’s gates: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). 

God has a way of using ordinary people and events for extraordinary purposes. He often works miracles in the mundane. He will use whatever it takes to fulfill His perfect plan—even things that are completely normal. God is active in the ordinary things of your life, too. Do not underestimate what He may do in the day-to-day happenings that appear humdrum.

As John Piper said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”  Who knows what He might do through the ordinary things in your life? Have faith in His providence—even if common sense tells you not to.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Sermons

Sermon: The Miraculous Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14)

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Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He is proud to be the pastor of the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English shepherd), and Dot (beagle).

Sermons

Sermon: The Suffering Savior Sent for Sinners (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

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Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He is proud to be the pastor of the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English shepherd), and Dot (beagle).

Bible Gleanings, christmas, devotions

Away in a Manger | Bible Gleanings – December 23-24, 2023

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The cries of a newborn were heard from an animal feeding trough in a little town called Bethlehem. God had come to earth as a baby, utterly dependent on the care of Mary and Joseph. The God who created the sun was wrapped in swaddling cloths to keep Him warm. The omnipresent God who cannot be confined by human temples was contained in the temple of a human child. The Lord exalted above the heavens was born as an infant and laid in a dirty and unsanitary manger: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

No doctors or nurses attended Him. He received no medical tests or vaccines. Furthermore, there was no aroma of gingerbread or apple cider in the air—only the stench of manure and the smell of birth. This was not a bright and starry night as depicted by Christmas cards and carols. The Lord Jesus entered the world in the most humiliating manner imaginable. 

Considering that Jesus is the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, [and] Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7), you might expect a more glorious and unforgettable entrance into the world. But instead of a breathtaking and royal arrival displayed to the whole world, Jesus was humbly born in the presence of only Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the company of dirty animals. No red carpet or triumphal band accompanied the arrival of the King of Kings. And this is the way God ordained it.

Jesus was demonstrating what kind of Savior He was from the moment He took His first breath. He had not come to overthrow the Romans. He would not dominate Israel’s opponents by consuming them with wrath from heaven. He would allow Himself to be consumed by wrath from heaven. And being born in the lowliest of places embodies His humility. The apostle Paul summed it up perfectly when he said:

“Though he [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).

And He did it for you. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

Bible Gleanings, christmas, devotions

O, Christmas Tree | Bible Gleanings – December 9-10, 2023

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Christmas is the most decorative holiday of the year. Wreaths gently garnish the front door. Candles glisten in the foggy windows. Poinsettias and holly bedeck the dining room table. Garland adorns the stair rail. And the sleepy Christmas village sits on a blanket of artificial snow in the foyer.

However, the most essential and emblematic decoration is the evergreen that stands tall and proud in the living room: the Christmas tree. This lively pine graced with ornaments and lights is the centerpiece of decorating for Christmas. It is most often the first decoration erected during Christmastime, and most families put it up the day after Thanksgiving. Even Charlie Brown put up a tree for Christmas, although it was virtually a twig.

The Christmas tree is rich with history and theological significance, too. Thousands of years ago, evergreens like Christmas trees stood inside and outside homes during the winter, as people anticipated the return of greenery in spring. Pagans also erected evergreen trees believing that they would heal their sun god who fell ill during winter. Around the 16th century, Christians adopted the tradition as a Christmas emblem, likely symbolizing the gift of everlasting life Jesus brought by His advent. Evergreens, whose leaves remain green all year, came to represent the forever-lasting gift of eternal life that Jesus graciously gives to all who come to Him in repentance and faith. 

Eternal life has no expiration date. It is life that goes on without end, independent of time. It is the possession of fullness, satisfaction, contentment, and joy that begins in this life and continues in the next. And, according to Jesus’ own words, it comes as a gift to those who believe in Him for their salvation: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV). Interestingly, if you possess everlasting life, you will one day be ushered to a heavenly land where the “tree of life” is in eternal bloom (Revelation 22:2). As you hang ornaments on your Christmas tree this year, remember the Christ who hung on a tree to grant you the right to “eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7b).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

Bible Gleanings, christmas, devotions

Filled With Wonder | Bible Gleanings – December 2-3, 2023

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The shepherds went speedily to look for Jesus after witnessing the heavenly hoopla (Luke 2:15).  When they found the Christ-child, they declared what they saw to Mary, Joseph, and every bystander. And the audience who heard them were in amazement and awe: “And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2:17-18). The news of Jesus’ birth produced wonder in the hearts of all who heard it.

Wonder is that wow-feeling of admiration and bewilderment that makes your heart quiver. It spawns in your soul when you behold something spectacular. It is the overwhelming sense that sweeps over you when you see the vast mountains of the Rockies or the millions of stars in our cosmos. And it is what you ought to feel when considering the remarkable event of Christ’s birth.

The point of such wonder is worship. Wonder is meant to spur you to look beyond yourself to the greatness of God, so you can say, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). Sadly, not all who wonder will worship. Those who do not know God still marvel and the intricacy and order of the universe, but they do not give thanks to the God who created it (Romans 1:21).  

Instead of wondering how you will survive this holiday season, take time to ponder the marvelous mystery of the Savior’s birth and the praiseworthy good news that God came down to man so that man could come to God. As John Jacob Phillips wrote many years ago:

“I wonder as I wander out under the sky,

How Jesus the Savior did come for to die,

For poor ornery people like you and like I;

I wonder as I wander out under the sky.”

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more advent devotions, pick up a copy of Let Earth Receive Her King! available now on Amazon:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

Heavenly Peace | Bible Gleanings – Advent Edition – December 24-25, 2022

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The sound of rifle fire suddenly ceased. The crackling of exploding shells eerily ended. German and Allied troops emerged from their war-torn trenches in a voluntary truce on Christmas Day, 1914. The “Christmas Truce,” as it is known, was an unplanned and unofficial ceasefire. Instead of fighting, the two sides exchanged cigarettes, plum pudding, and sang Christmas carols. It was an unusual day of peace amid the conflict of World War I.

A German lieutenant later recalled, “How marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time.” That is the power of Christmas—it creates peace between enemies. I would bet that the angel who announced the news of Christ’s birth would agree. After all, he proclaimed that there would be peace on earth because of Christ’s advent: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14).

We are at war with God when we come into the world as unsaved sinners. We are enemies of God and of the cross (Romans 5:10; Philippians 3:18). But because of Christmas and Calvary, we can experience heavenly peace with God. Jesus came to establish an eternal ceasefire. As Paul wrote, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). 

We may also enjoy inward peace because of what Christ has done. Paul said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). God the Father grants heart-peace to His children when they bring their requests to Him—and the work of Christ makes it possible (John 1:12). 

The bells of Christmas Day are ringing the song of peace. The old conflict between God and man has ceased for those who know the Christ-child as their Lord and Savior. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, written by Henry W. Longfellow, aptly says:

“And in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong, and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Till, ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,Of peace on earth, good will to men.” 

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).