Morning Devotional 120223 Time with God

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

December 2, 2023

Genesis 2:7-9

7 the LORD God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life. 8 The LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east and put there the human he had formed. 9 In the fertile land, the LORD God grew every beautiful tree with edible fruit, and also he grew the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Good Morning. God sent his Son to save us!

Tomorrow, we begin the season of Advent. Advent is the beginning of a new year in the Christian life. As we prepare to experience the awe and wonder of the birth of the Christ child, it is a time when we can accept the gift of rebirth.

What things of this past year are you ready to discard? When I consider my faith journey, I reflect on different points along the way. I ask myself, “When did I feel closest to God, and when did God seem distant to me?” I know God didn’t go away from me, but I allowed distractions to create a gap between us.

Advent is a time to evaluate and clean out our unnecessary stuff. Perhaps while we are making shopping lists for the holidays, we can create a list of things that get in the way of our time with God and things that bring us close to God. Then comes the tough part: choosing to get rid of things. Just as we struggle to throw or give away that dress that hasn’t fit for years or that tool gathering dust in the shed, we are challenged to get rid of those things that distract us from spending time with God.

As with most things that are hard for me, I suggest we start small. How can we slowly effect positive change in our faith journey? Advent is a great time to intentionally set aside time to spend with God. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, imagine how great a special time with God would be. I challenge you to spend five extra minutes with God during this Advent. I pray that you will be blessed and come to realize that this is the best part of your day.

Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. Wow! Our schedules fill up so quickly this time of year. Help us to remember to schedule time with you each day. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Take time and enjoy God’s gifts to us.

How will you spend time with God today? Pastor Liz