12/25/2024
Morning Devotion
Keeping Christ in this Christmas season means daily revealing the character, love, and spirit of Christ that dwells in you by allowing these traits to shine through your actions. As you shop for others, why not consider how you can also give God one very special gift just from you to Him. Let this gift be something personal that no one else needs to know about, and let it be a sacrifice....
▪︎ Maybe your gift to God will be to forgive someone you've needed to forgive for a long time. You may discover that you've given a gift back to yourself. It has been said, "When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself." (Mark 11:25 AMP: Matthew 6:15 AMP)
▪︎ Perhaps your gift will be to commit to God and to spend time with God daily. Reading His Word, Meditating on His Word, and then Putting His Word into practice. To spend time with God takes an intentional effort. The more often you spend time with God, the more often He can speak to your spirit and draw you closer to Him. (Proverbs16:3 AMP; Matthew 6:6 MSG; Job 33:26-30 MSG)
▪︎ Maybe there is something God has asked you to give up. It is something or someone that is getting in the way of you and God. It is something or someone that has your focus more than God. It might just be "You" or your self-centered wants that He is asking you to give up. When God asks us to give something up, it’s so we can receive more of Him. (1 John 2:15-17)
In conclusion, whatever you give God, make it your most important gift of the season. (Psalm 116:12 AMP)