A few days ago I opened up Facebook before tackling my daily writing and posted a few quick inspiring words about a Christmas phrase that popped into my mind. I did the same thing the next day.
Before I knew it, I was writing them into my Facebook page each day and completely enjoying it.
Spur of the moment devotionals.
Sundays “Christmas phrase” filled me with joy, well, because it was “Rejoice” and also it actually matched Sundays reading and sermon at church. While I didn’t have time to get on Facebook before church, a little girl in the pew ahead of me inspired me to write yesterday’s devotional and I posted it on Facebook last night. I love it when inspiration comes together like that.
Here it is:
Rejoice!
A wonderful Christmas word, but not so easy to rejoice when we don’t exactly feel joy in our hearts.
Today in church, Neena, our gifted singer and musician, came down from the choir loft to go to the communion rail with her family. Celeste, her beautiful granddaughter caught sight of her and was instantly transformed. Her face lit up and her hands shot out in full rejoicing mode.
A bored, antsy child became overwhelmed with joy because of the love she felt for her grandmother.
We should be like Celeste. Knowing that God is always before us, we should let go of our anxiety, throw up our arms and rejoice.
Celeste knows how much Neena loves her. As God’s children, if we truly understood how much He loves us…if we could only trust in his ultimate wisdom and care, we could truly rejoice like sweet Celeste.
Take that one big issue or problem that your thinking about right now. Find a quiet place. Then completely, fully, submit that problem to God. Then rejoice, knowing that His love for you is greater than you can ever imagine.
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This morning I thought I’d put these devotions on my blog, too. Today starts “Nine Days Before Christmas” so I’ll be posting a new short devotional each day from my blog and Facebook. And I’m thinking, after Christmas, maybe I’ll work on them some more and put them together for my next devotional book. (more exciting news about why I said “next” will come soon.)
Today’s devotional was really short:
…and the soul felt it’s worth
Those words to my favorite Christmas song, O Holy Night, always send chills through me.
Again, those words with what precedes them. “…and he appeared, and the soul felt its worth.
This devotional today is going to be super short because the power in the words are the words themselves.
Stop
Really think about that phrase from that song. “And he appeared, and the soul felt it’s worth.”
Does your soul truly feel its worth?
If not, has he appeared in your life? Have you asked him to appear? Find out the true “magic” of Christmas when you invite him to truly appear.
I’m a bit sad that this is the last chapter of Romans, but pretty excited about Christmas! Thank you Deacon Alfred Sturges for presenting this Christmas Challenge. I have enjoyed reading and contemplating on each chapter of Paul to the Romans and I can truly say that it has prepared my heart for Christmas. Incredible wisdom. Merry Christmas to all and thank you for following. In honor of St. Paul, here’s a stained glass window (St. Paul) from our church, St. Jame’s Anglican, where my husband serves as bishop and rector, followed by the last chapter and a short reflection:
Romans 16
Good News Translation (GNT)
Personal Greetings
16 I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who serves the church at Cenchreae. 2 Receive her in the Lord’s name, as God’s people should, and give her any help she may need from you; for she herself has been a good friend to many people and also to me.
3 I send greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in the service of Christ Jesus; 4 they risked their lives for me. I am grateful to them—not only I, but all the Gentile churches as well.5 Greetings also to the church that meets in their house.
Greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first in the province of Asia to believe in Christ.6 Greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for you. 7 Greetings also to Andronicus and Junia, fellow Jews who were in prison with me; they are well known among the apostles, and they became Christians before I did.
8 My greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the fellowship of the Lord. 9 Greetings also to Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ’s service, and to Stachys, my dear friend. 10 Greetings to Apelles, whose loyalty to Christ has been proved. Greetings to those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.11 Greetings to Herodion, a fellow Jew, and to the Christians in the family of Narcissus.
12 My greetings to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who work in the Lord’s service, and to my dear friend Persis, who has done so much work for the Lord. 13 I send greetings to Rufus, that outstanding worker in the Lord’s service, and to his mother, who has always treated me like a son. 14 My greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and all the other Christians with them. 15 Greetings to Philologus and Julia, to Nereus and his sister, to Olympas and to all of God’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with the kiss of peace. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.
Final Instructions
17 I urge you, my friends: watch out for those who cause divisions and upset people’s faith and go against the teaching which you have received. Keep away from them! 18 For those who do such things are not serving Christ our Lord, but their own appetites. By their fine words and flattering speech they deceive innocent people. 19 Everyone has heard of your loyalty to the gospel, and for this reason I am happy about you. I want you to be wise about what is good, but innocent in what is evil. 20 And God, our source of peace, will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings; and so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, fellow Jews.
22 I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, send you Christian greetings.
23 My host Gaius, in whose house the church meets, sends you his greetings; Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. 24
Concluding Prayer of Praise
25 Let us give glory to God! He is able to make you stand firm in your faith, according to the Good News I preach about Jesus Christ and according to the revelation of the secret truth which was hidden for long ages in the past. 26 Now, however, that truth has been brought out into the open through the writings of the prophets; and by the command of the eternal God it is made known to all nations, so that all may believe and obey.
27 To the only God, who alone is all-wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever! Amen.
What more can be said, but the last line: To the only God, who is all-wise, be glory through Jesus Christ, forever! Amen! Alleluia! Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone!
But wait, there’s more! Here’s a lovely Christmas song for you, my favorite! O Holy, Night. Merry Christmas to you and yours from Bishop Leo and Holly Michael, and Jake, Betsy and Nick!
Deacon Alfred Sturges’ challenge to read Romans, a Chapter a day, until Christmas has been an enlightening journey so far, but this chapter well….oh my…seriously, it reduced me to tears.
Today, during our church service, with a troubled mind and a heavy heart, I asked God a lot of questions. This evening, I read Romans 8, and seriously, every question was answered. I’m offering a few thoughts in the beginning of this blog post, then posting Romans. Pray. Read. Reflect. Ask God questions, any questions. And if you don’t say, “Wow!” at the end of this chapter, I’ll be very surprised. Let me know. First, a few short thoughts before you delve into Romans 8.
The season of Advent is about preparing ourselves for Christmas; for the coming of the Christ Child. We get used to saying those words, but what does Christmas really mean to the heart, to the soul? There’s one line in the song, O Holy Night, that sums it up for me:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
It’s my favorite Christmas Hymn. If you want to hear it, here’s the entire song, sung by Josh Groban:
“…the soul felt its worth.” Wow again! To me, this is what Romans, Chapter 8 is all about…the soul truly feeling its worth. I’ve been thinking about my soul during this challenge. It’s worth, how I see myself. How others see me. How God sees me. And something changed in my soul after reading this chapter.
Whether the world ends on the 21st or whenever we die and come face to face with God, I want to be prepared and be able to stand worthy before my Creator. I pray that this chapter touches your heart as much as it did mine. I pray that God shows you, through His Word, the worth of your soul. I’d love to hear your thoughts afterwards.
Here’s Romans 8:
Romans 8: Life Through the Spirit
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Present Suffering and Future Glory
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
More Than Conquerors
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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We have become children of God by Christ’s death on the cross. And as we question and wonder, the Holy Spirit is at work praying to the Father on our behalf. And not only is the Spirit at work, but God the Father is at work, through this messy, sad, heartbreaking life, working ALL things for the good of those who love Him. Even if we are clueless about our lives, even if we are lonely, sad, and confused, God is taking the broken parts of our life and and making something purposeful, intentional and good. We are called, according to His purpose, to be in a relationship with God and committed to following His ways. And NOTHING can separate us from the love of God! NOTHING!
YOU ARE LOVED! YOUR SOUL HAS INCREDIBLE WORTH! WOW!
To conspire... act in harmony toward a common or agreed upon end. God wants to conspire with us [and] this means that God calls us to give our lives to God, to surrender completely, so we may live more fully. Dallas Willard