“What matters is not your outer appearance… but your inner disposition.”  1 Peter 3:1 (MSG)

Devotion:

This year I am tempted to keep a close count of the number of times I hear the question, “Are you ready for the holidays?”

What does that mean exactly? If I were to guess what people mean when they ask one another if they are “ready for the holidays,” I would say most are not talking about spiritual readiness. I bet what they typically mean is, “Have you made a list of all the stuff you need to do before the 25^th and have you checked it off?”

Usually the answer that follows is a long list of to-do’s before Christmas day. Baking, sending Christmas cards, buying and wrapping gifts, hiding presents from the children, or delivering them to neighbors, choir or play practice, preparing for guests, or preparing to travel. My list also often includes planning and attending parties, house cleaning, and finally – my favorite – decorating.

I wonder, if Jesus were making a holiday preparations list, what would He include? What if those who were there on Christ’s birth day could advise us on getting ready for Christmas? What would be on their list?

Joseph might recommend we listen closely to the voice of God to prepare.

Mary may suggest we ponder the miracles of heaven.

Perhaps the angels would propose we sing about the King.

The shepherds may gently guide us to follow their act of worship.

Possibly the wise men would teach us to give Jesus our most valuable gifts.

The innkeeper may suggest “Hospitality: open your heart and home.”

And Jesus’ list would likely encourage us to be a light on the hill pointing the way for others to know Him.

Comparing my to-do list to the ones above, I wonder if I lived at that time, would I have missed Christ’s birth? Would my busyness have kept me from slowing down to take time to worship in the stable? Unfortunately I have “missed” many Christmases in the here and now because I’ve not slowed down long enough to bow my knees and experience the miracle.

I want Christmas for my family to be more about an act of worship and awe than a frenzy to decorate, shop, and jump through the world’s hoops. I don’t want to miss the true reason we celebrate.

A few years ago I set out to purposefully plan the way I celebrate. As a result, my Christmases have become increasingly simpler and at the same time my heart has become increasingly more satisfied.

Are you ready for the holidays?

Today’s Truth
“Better one handful of tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:5 (NIV)

Friend to Friend
Ah, Christmas!  What a joyous time of the year!  What a busy time of the year!  What an expensive time of the year!  Yikes!

A family friend of ours is going through a tight financial season and is concerned about what he and his wife can afford to buy their children for Christmas.  He has been talking with his seven-year-old son about the spending limitations they are bound by, hoping that these talks will diminish the child’s expectations of a lavish Christmas.  Regardless of the monetary dialog, his son is still determined to get an electronic toy that is very expensive.

Over the past few weeks, this resolute child just could not stop talking about, longing for and thinking about this toy.  My friend was amused and surprised the other day when his naïve son burst into the room with excitement, exclaiming “Daddy!  Daddy!  I figured out a way!  I’ve figured out a way!  I can still get my toy and you won’t have to buy it!  You won’t have to spend your money!  I’ve decided to ask Santa for it!”

At times, we can long for something so desperately, that we just can’t stop thinking about it.  The problem with me is that I’m often longing for vapors.  I want things that are neither eternal nor important in the grand scheme of things.  King Solomon referred to this in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes as “chasing after the wind.”  It just seems that my flesh is constantly battling the God-seeker in me.  Can you relate?

At Christmas time, longings attack our contentment.  Whether they are longings of a material nature or emotional nature – tangible or intangible.  Our desires are often heightened by the commercial status of this flesh-driven culture.  I’m compelled this year to pray specifically that the God-seeker in me would be strengthened.  I want to want Christ more.  I want a heart that is satisfied with Him.

There’s an old hymn written by the late Charles Wesley that is perfect for both Christmas time and all year round: “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.”  It was the cry of those anticipating the arrival of a coming Messiah more than 2000 years ago and it remains our cry today as we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus and anticipate His return as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee

Israel’s Strength and Consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a Child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring

By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

The purposed love-mission of Jesus wrapping Himself in flesh and clothing Himself in humanity was for us to be reconciled to the loving heart of God the Father.  Hope came as a babe in a manger and will be returning soon to take us home.   Now THAT is something to long for…

Today’s Truth
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

Friend to Friend
With Christmas just around the corner, it is easy to get so busy with the cooking, decorating and shopping that we forget why we’re doing all this in the first place.  Sometimes, the very people we love get lost in the hustle and bustle of packed schedules, holiday parties, and Christmas musicals.  This Christmas, let’s keep our focus on Jesus and celebrate the reason He came.

Today, I want to share a poem that I wrote a few years ago that helps me keep a proper perspective.

1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Style
©By Sharon Jaynes

If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family – I’m just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family – I’m just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family – It profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn’t envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way.

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never fails.  Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust.  But giving the gift of love will endure.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 (NIV)

Devotion

Have you ever felt like one of those toys from the Land of the Misfit Toys in “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer?” Boy, I sure have! Growing up, an overwhelming sadness haunted me. Inferiority and worthlessness were constant companions and I wondered if God had been sleeping on the job when He created me. Those feelings manifested themselves in a deep depression.

By the time I was a teenager, anorexia consumed me and I was determined to destroy myself. Because my life felt so out of control I needed something I could control. In my case, it was what I did or did not put in my mouth.

Years spent in my anorexic prison molded my self-image into one of self-hatred. Why would anyone want to be with me? Why am I here? Do I even want to live anymore? These were just a few of the questions that constantly bounced around in my head. Feeling like a square peg in a round hole, I quite honestly wanted to die. The pain of day-to-day living was so hard for me.

Despite being surrounded by amazing family and friends who loved me, I believed many things that were not true. I whole-heartedly believed I was a mistake. I believed I could get the affirmation I desired from guys, most whom were abusive towards me. I believed I was worth nothing and deserved the hits, scratches, and horrible, hateful words. I thought they were my rightful punishment.

Growing up I believed something else too…I believed in God. But did I believe Him? Did I believe all His wonderful promises were meant for me personally? Did I believe God could love me when I was such an absolute mess?

After years of depression, suicide attempts, abusive dating relationships, and starvation, I had an encounter with my Savior. I met God with my pain and messy, mixed-up life and He met me with His love and acceptance. He showed me I was His child, made in His own image. The Lord also led me to an amazing Christian counselor. Revisiting my painful past through counseling was a hard journey, but well worth it. I felt God’s infinite healing and love for me, and for the first time I began to believe that God had a plan and a purpose for my life.

The Lord is now using my life and experiences for His good. I have a passion to minister His healing and love through written and spoken words to those who suffer or have suffered as I did. How about you? Are you hurting? Do you feel worthless and like you do not matter? Please don’t. You are not a misfit toy.

A friend once told me that if God had a refrigerator, my photo would be on it. Your picture would too! God loves you so much and created you in His beautiful image. His Word says you are made with love. Choose today to believe it.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 (NIV)

Devotion:

God gave each of us what we needed most—a Savior to save us from ourselves. Therefore, the holiday season should be a time of cheer. For some, however, it can be lonely and depressing. While the days leading up to Christmas should be filled with peace, joy, and hope, sadness over past mistakes can hover like clouds on a rainy day. We all have a tendency to define ourselves by what we have or haven’t done.

We tend to label ourselves by our past mistakes, and then we wear these labels as if there were no alternative. Failure; Unfaithful; Unfit Parent; Liar; Gossip; Addicted; Bitter.

The Bible tells us that as a person thinks, so they become. Therefore, if you want to live an unhealthy life, you can. If you want to punish yourself, you will. However, being self-destructive is not God’s plan for your life. In fact, to think this way is to see yourself outside of God’s saving grace.

That’s why the Christmas season offers such hope … because God gave us what we needed most—a Savior to save us from ourselves. The key to putting your past behind you, and moving forward with a bright and hopeful future, is to accept Christ’s forgiveness for you.

You’ll find it comforting to know that you are not alone in your troubles. The Bible tells us, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NIV). That means there is not one perfect person in the entire world. We have all made mistakes. I know I’ve made my share. Still, no matter how hard we try to do everything right on our own, we can’t. So God gave His only Son as payment for our sins. In other words, Christ paid our debt. This payment is a gift of God which He freely offers to you and me.

The awesome thing is, we don’t have to earn this gift. Through Christ’s death on the cross, God simply says, “Your sins are paid in full.”

All you and I have to do to receive His forgiveness is to agree with God about our sins. You might say something like this in prayer. Yes, God, I did that thing … I receive your free gift of forgiveness for the wrong I have done, and I accept heaven as my eternal home. Cleanse me and change my life. Fill me with your love, hope, joy and peace.

If you sincerely mean what you’ve confessed, then you have been forgiven. Your slate is clean. God remembers your sins no more. It is as if they never were. That’s the good news of Christmas and the open doorway to peace!

The next thing you must do is forgive yourself. You will stay in bondage if you continue to label yourself as a bad or unworthy person for what you have done instead of focusing on the changes God can bring about in you. You must stop defining yourself by your past and read the Bible to learn how God defines His people.

Just think; this could be a Christmas where you experience real peace, joy, and forgiveness. It’s why Christ was born … to set you free.

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” Luke 8:15 (NIV)

Devotion:

Recently, I had a conversation with a customer service agent. I use the words “customer service” very loosely. There was not a lot of concern over me being a faithful customer nor any expressions of service.

Let’s just say, I wasn’t feeling the love. I remained calm, but it seriously took everything in me to do so.
I know the lady on the other end of the phone was just following procedure, but I wasn’t getting anywhere with a very simple request. It made no sense. It wasn’t right. And it certainly did nothing to make me fond of this particular company.

Later on, I started thinking about the woman on the other end of the line. After my call, she probably moved on to the next frustrated customer. And then the next. And then the next. Suddenly, I felt so sorry for her. I decided it wasn’t her desire to not be able to help me. She was truly just following the orders of the higher-ups at her company.

I imagined her packing up her things at the end of another long day and heading home. A home where she is having to face her own daily aggravations and frustrations. That’s when it hit me. While on the phone, I never pictured her as a person really. To me, she was just a voice on the other end of the phone that was causing me extreme frustration.
How might my reaction have been different if I’d stopped to think about her as a woman just like me? …What might it be like to be her, to live her life, and to have to go to her job everyday?

I decided God was trying to get my attention to be more aware of those around me, those that He loves dearly. Those that I, sadly, sometimes don’t even see. In Luke 8:15 Jesus reminds us, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” I want Jesus’ message to fall on a heart that is humble and fertile enough to:

Receive God’s word…

Retain God’s instruction, and…

Reflect God’s character in both my action and reactions.

When I stop to think about this I am challenged. Whether I am talking with a frustrating customer service representative that I don’t know or interacting with those I know and love, I must work towards being a woman who displays godly character. Just like Luke 8:15 encourages, whether I’m having a frustrating conversation or a friendly one, may God’s messages of truth have such an impact on me that my heart remains noble and good.

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6: 67-69

In the scene above, there had just been a mass exodus of followers of Jesus.  Jesus addresses His closest disciples, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” which seems to imply Jesus was checking to see if they too had doubts.

Sometimes, if I’m really honest – I mean the type of deep down honesty that rarely finds its way out of the darkness of my soul and into the light of day – I have to admit that there times I question my faith.  Yes, I grew up in the church, attended literally thousands of Sunday school classes, heard just as many sermons, sang in the choir, and followed the prescribed “Christian” path.  I went to a Christian college, married a pastor, and even went into ministry myself.  But, even so, there are times when questions, fears, doubts and uncertainty seep into my spirit.

One thing that helps me most during times like this is the fact that I’m not alone in my experience.  In Psalm 13:1-3a, David cries out in anguish to God, “How long, O LORD?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?  Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.”

From prison, John the Baptist sent his own disciples to Jesus with one question, “Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else? (Matthew 11:3)”

If these great heroes of the faith expressed question and doubt, it should be no surprise to us that we, too, may wrestle with similar questions and experiences.  One thing I am learning is not to fear the questions, but rather to acknowledge them, embrace them, and then take them to the best source I’ve ever known for answers, Jesus Christ himself.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. — Romans 12:2

Some of my friends tease me about my so-called obsession with electronic gadgets. One of my favorite purchases of recent years was my noise-canceling headphones. I use them whenever I’m traveling by airplane. These headphones actually quiet much of the noise generated by the jet engines. The manufacturer suggests that noise cancellation reduces the stress and fatigue associated with air travel. The science behind the noise cancellation is that the headphones have microphones that monitor outside noise, then process those sound waves and generate into the headphones opposite sound waves, which cancel out the unwanted noise. It really, really works! When I use the headphones, and the jet noise is quieted, I am amazed how you can still very clearly hear the voice of someone speaking to you from the next seat.

This noise cancellation technology reminds me that in our relationship with Christ and our interaction with the Scriptures, we have a noise cancellation system. When we study and apply God’s Word to our lives; when we passionately pursue Jesus’ Lordship daily, the noise of the world is quieted and we can hear Him clearly. Sure, you still know the noise is out there, but the level of the roar is reduced. But, when we ignore these basic disciplines, the noise of the world increases and can become deafening – and our lives suffer because we no longer hear God’s word.

Jesus didn’t intend to remove us completely from the noise of the world with its temptations, hurts, injustices and evil. No, rather He intends to protect us in the midst of these dangers – effectively canceling the world’s noise – to a point where we can hear and respond to God’s Word and our lives can be lived joyfully and effectively for Him.

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice! — Philippians 4:4

“There is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, but to those who love Thee for Thine own sake, whose joy Thou Thyself art.  And this is the happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, for Thee; this it is, and there is no other.”
—  The Confessions of St. Augustine

I’ve never been a person who has had a hard time being happy.  In fact, most of the people who I know are pretty optimistic and glad with their lives.  If you think about it, in our contemporary culture in the United States, who wouldn’t be?  We live in one of the greatest countries in human history.  We are at the top of the world when it comes to materialistic blessings. Most of us live pretty healthy lives.  We have access to cutting-edge medicine and scientific techniques that have lengthened our life expectancy to over 80 years.  For most of us, we will live our lives without feeling any sense of want.  Our jobs provide the necessary resources to put food on our tables and nice roofs over our heads.  This country provides us with immeasurable freedoms and choices.  We can travel at will…eat anywhere we can afford…visit historical and natural attractions in order to expand our knowledge of our environment.  Bottom line:  no wonder we’re happy!

It’s important in times of joy and abundance that we remember to give credit to Whom the credit is due.  As the Bible says, “every good and perfect gift comes from God.” (James 1:17)  God is the source of our joy.  God is the Creator of happiness and peace.  In fact, everything that you and I experience in this world that is good is ultimately an expression of the God Who brought it into being.

I love the two quotes at the top of this devotion. In the Scripture passage from Philippians, the Apostle Paul tells us to rejoice, not in circumstances or even the blessings that we have, but in the originator of all good: God!  There is really no one else or nothing else that gives us the opportunity to enjoy life, from the air we breathe to the beauty that surrounds us daily.  In every gift, in every situation, in every relationship, in every experience and person who brings a smile to our face, the blessings we receive all come from the very hand of God.  Today, rejoice IN THE LORD!  Give credit to Whom credit is due!

He called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said- “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

I recently read of a man who bought a hotel in Spokane, Washington. There was only one problem: The hotel’s restaurant was the big moneymaker, since the bar grossed 10,000 dollars a month. But the new owner wasn’t going to keep the bar. It’s not that he wanted to impose his own views on other people, but as a Christian he chose not to run a business subsidized by alcohol sales. The hotel manager argued with the new owner that if guests couldn’t drink they would be out the door to a competitor. He also gave the new owner some convincing statistics showing that he couldn’t make it financially without the bar. The owner listened politely and closed the door to the bar. He had to stick to his convictions. That manager promptly quit.

The owner remodeled the hotel lobby and turned the bar into a cozy coffee shop. In the first couple of years of business, food sales went up 20 percent and room bookings were up 30 percent. Still, profits weren’t what they could be if the bar were open. But the hotel owner’s reply was, “Beliefs aren’t worth much if a fella’s not ready to live by them!”