Philippians 4:8
December seems like a long short month. It’s long because it is 31 days. It’s short because the myriad of events contained in it make it fly by. What we considered planning in Septem-ber or October suddenly arrives and catches us unprepared. I can remember thinking about Christmas last October and brushing it aside with an overconfident “there’s plenty of time.” Have you ever done something like that?
The run up to Christmas can be a great opportunity to start a daily scripture and prayer time, if you don’t have one. Hit the brakes, slow down, and let your thoughts dwell on Christ. Philippians 4:8 provides a list of qualities which are each exemplified in the Lord Je-sus. Read that verse each day, and the verses around it. Get into the gospel accounts and rediscover the life of Jesus when He walked this earth. And remember that He truly lives and loves us. Look through the Psalms, especially 107-119. Use them to praise God for His great works and care for us. There is treasure in God’s Word waiting for us. The spiritual re-ward is great!
In all the busyness of this long short month, we need to be very intentional about personal worship. We will never “have” time. We have to “take” it! We will be amazed at the work God will do in our hearts through His Word, and the way He will use us to carry a message of hope to others.
And by the way- have a Christ-filled Christmas.