The person who has applied their heart to know God has more need to be reminded than to be instructed.
“Wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, which is in thee... For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
It’s cold outside, clouds hang low, the days are dark and short. Becoming lost in the dreary setting, yielding to depression over another year slipping away, thinking about the people we’ve lost and dreams yet unfulfilled can crowd out the joy of the season. Even amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays, shopping, and gift-giving, it is easy to forget the blessings and gifts we already possess.
Remember, through it all, that God is thinking of you. God’s decision to send Christ to Bethlehem was not a whim...Christ is a gift with your name on it, given by God with love and hope of drawing you into a relationship with the Divine Life. In Christ, God has sent you life without the need to fear, the power to live that life to the fullest, a sound mind to chart the way into love.
A psychologist friend of mine once told me that everyone has but two needs. We need to love and we need to be loved. With those two needs met, we can face down any threat, endure any hardship, and outlast any difficulty we choose to. You are at least halfway there...God loves you.
Don’t believe me? Try God. But, don’t do it as a lark. You cannot expect God to take you seriously if you are unwilling to do the same...remember love and be loved...it’s a two-way street. Someone once asked me how they can love God before they try. I believe the way is this...be grateful for what you already have and God will meet you there.
With whom are you most pleased, the one who opens your gift to them with unbridled happiness and many thanks or the one who receives it with indifference? Now, God is not a man and it’s not always possible to relate to God that way, but in this case, I think it works.
You don’t need a Sunday School lecture or a sermon (not that anything is wrong with either), you need to search your heart for what God has given you and be thankful for it. Doing this is the best blessing of Christmas...and it costs you nothing, it’s God’s gift to you.
Maranatha
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