By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. Psalm 33:6

Breath. The Hebrew is ruah.
It is a workhorse of a word.
In context, it can mean breath, air, strength, wind, or Spirit.

In Genesis 1:2 it is the Spirit hovering over the creation.
In Zechariah 4:6, it is the Spirit of power.
In Ezekiel 37, it transforms the dry bones into a great and mighty army.

It is creative.
It is life-giving.
It is strength and power.
But it is invisible.

It is the example Jesus used with Nicodemus to explain the Spirit’s unseen work.*
And it is at work in us today.
The Spirit of God.
Giving us life.
Making us a new creation.
Strengthening us.
Empowering us.
To bring glory to the Creator, the Savior, the One who gave us life.

And it started with breath.

*The New Testament was written in Greek so if you check John 3, you’ll see the word pneuma. Jesus spoke Aramaic, which was closely related to Hebrew. He would have used ruah or a word very similar to ruah. In fact, when the Old Testament was translated into Greek, the go-to word for ruah was usually pneuma.

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear. The Hebrew is shema.
Not just hear, though.
Because we hear a song but don’t remember the lyrics.
We hear the news but can’t recall the details.
We hear the directions but still get lost on the trip.

This “hear” is different.
Hear. Absorb. Internalize. Act accordingly.
In verse 3, Moses says, hear the Law so you can obey it.
In verse 5, Moses explains how to respond once you have heard verse 4.

Love the Lord your God
With all your heart
With all your soul and
With all your strength.

Maybe when we have trouble with Love
We should go back to Hear.

Hear what the Lord says about Himself.
About us.
Hear His instructions.
Hear His promises.
Absorb. Internalize. Act accordingly.

Maybe in this new year, we can commit
To hear. To shema.
The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

You will joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).

Springs of salvation.
Springs of living water.

At Christmas, we think more of ice and snow than water.
But living water is exactly what we need.

For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves— cracked cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13)

At Christmas, we remember how important hope is.
How much we need a miracle.

“But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” (John 4:14)

At Christmas, we realize Jesus is the miracle.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6)

These were the last words in the Old Testament.
Then for 400 years, God was silent.

When He spoke again, Gabriel said these words to Zacharias:

He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.” (Luke 1:16-17)

Before the Advent comes the preparation.

How do we prepare?
Do we realize the importance of right relationships with those closest to us?
Do we understand that righteousness is the best course of action, that God lays out His standards because they are good for us?
Are we ready to receive Him?

Christmas is several days away. The coming of Christ in power and glory is in the future.
But Advent is now.
Are we prepared?

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. Genesis 3:15

Christmas.
Peace on earth, right?

Christmas is actually the beginning of the slow climax to the ultimate conflict.
Enmity.
Hostility.

The forces of darkness and evil.
The force of light and righteousness.

It began in a Garden.
The turning point was in a Garden.
The end will be on a mountain.

This is how…

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:20)

The God who brings peace will destroy our greatest enemy.
Soon.

In the meantime, grace be with you.

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12

With my whole heart, or with all my heart.
What does that mean?

I will give thanks with all my energy and enthusiasm.

I will give thanks with sincerity and authenticity.

I will give thanks genuinely and earnestly.

My thanks will not be rote or canned.

My thanks will not be driven by duty or peer pressure.

My thanks will not be distracted or disingenuous.

Because God, whose name is to be praised forever and forever is worthy of my wholehearted thanks.
He is worthy of far more than I can offer or even express.
But since He is gracious enough to receive my thanks
How can I do anything else but give Him my wholehearted thanks?