Merry & Bright: Celebrating Christmas Every DaySample

Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him “The magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His presence.” — Anonymous There are countless traditions that we incorporate into our Christmas season. We decorate our homes and businesses with all kinds of ribbons, greenery, lights, and glitter. We make the treats we’ve been longing for since last December but don’t feel justified in eating between January and November. We take trips around our towns to see Christmas displays of lights galore. We see plays at our childrens’ schools and watch programs at our churches. We are definitely not short on traditions during the month of December. And often in the hustle and bustle of this joyous season, in enjoying these temporal activities, we forget the one thing that should be in our everyday tradition— spending time with Jesus. This is often the one relationship in our lives that we forget to invest in during the time of year that we are supposed to be celebrating Him. It’s easy to do and we all, at some point in our lives, find ourselves in this place. But there is good news! Just because we miss one day, one week, or even one month away from spending time with Jesus doesn’t mean we can’t start again. God’s mercies are new every single day. Jump start your time with God again by doing one or more of the following: * Start a Bible Plan. * Read through the Psalms and Proverbs every month of the year. * Pick a verse or short Bible passage and journal about it. * Incorporate worship music into your day. * Spend time praying over the people in your life. * Listen to a sermon or podcast that builds your faith. Doing these things isn’t about earning God’s love or making sure He’s not mad at us. It’s about connecting with the One who laid down His life for us so that we could live our lives for Him. It’s about getting the strength we need to live in a world that is not our true home. It’s about walking with Him so that we can learn and grow in our faith in order to help others along the way. Let’s make spending time with Jesus the most important tradition that lasts all year long. Reflect * Do you find it challenging to spend time with Jesus everyday? What is it that prevents you from keeping this commitment? * Decide today what will help you keep your commitment.