Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
December 26, 2023
2 Corinthians 9:10-15
10 The one who supplies seed for planting and bread for eating will supply and multiply your seed and will increase your crop, which is righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous in every way. Such generosity produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 Your ministry of this service to God’s people isn’t only fully meeting their needs, but it is also multiplying in many expressions of thanksgiving to God. 13 They will give honor to God for your obedience to your confession of Christ’s gospel. They will do this because this service provides evidence of your obedience and because of your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. 14 They will also pray for you, and they will care deeply for you because of the outstanding grace that God has given to you. 15 Thank God for his gift that words can’t describe!
Good Morning! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
On this day after Christmas, take time to allow the light of Christ to glow within you. There are many different ideas surrounding this day. After weeks of planning, decorating, cooking, and rushing to be ready for the big event, it is over. Phew! There are those who rush out to make returns on gifts. Those who go out to shop for Christmas bargains. Those who work to pack away the decorations and return their house to normal.
For me, this after Christmas time can be very precious. Years ago, I decided to embrace the tradition of the twelve days of Christmas, not like the gifts of the song, but as a time to let Christ fill my heart and soul. I like to sit in the early morning darkness and appreciate the glow of the Christmas lights that illumine my space.
The season after the day takes on a whole different meaning without all of the earthly expectations that we heap on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. No one is waiting to open gifts or share in a big meal. Our anxiety subsides, and suddenly, we have room for the hope, peace, joy, and love of a baby born in Bethlehem.
We shouldn’t be so hurried to fill the after-Christmas void with earthly things. Be still and know . . . Give yourself the grace to linger in the moment and rekindle the awe and wonder of new beginnings. Don’t frantically remove the bows and rip the paper, but ever-so-slowly remove the packaging and embrace each nuance and deep meaning that this gift brings. No matter how many times we have unwrapped it, each year, this gift brings us a new day, a new opportunity, and a new life. It’s time to try your gift on for size and allow it to permeate our earthly existence and create a bridge to the divine.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. You sent us a gift of such magnitude that we are unsure of how to respond. Help us share this gift that grows each time we open it. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Share your gift with the world!
Linger in the moment that is Christmas! Pastor Liz
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