Sacred Holidays: A Devotional Leading Up To Halloween Sample

 DAY TWO: 

One of the reasons why I love Halloween so much is because it is the one day of the year when our neighbors knock on our doors. I know many Christians have fears about Halloween and it’s background, but today we aren’t going to talk about those things (I do address them in Sacred Holidays: Less Chaos, More Jesus if you are interested in learning more). We are going to focus instead of what we can know for certain and what we are called to do. My hope is that at the end of this day you aren’t just convinced to open your door, but to walk out of it and get going in Jesus’ name!

We touched on it very briefly yesterday, but let’s look again at Jesus’ final command to us. 

Read a fresh account of it in Matthew 18:18-20. 

We can’t interpret the word “go” any other way than “go.” Not just “go” but “go and make disciples”—more followers of Jesus. 

Have you ever considered why we are supposed to go into the world? 

Read John 3:16 and note why you think we are supposed to go into the whole world. 

It’s actually pretty simple—we’re supposed to go into the world because the Father loves the world. His great love for the whole world is greater than His desire for us to be comfortable, and certainly greater than our fear. 

The beautiful thing is the Father didn’t send us into the world alone. We are told in Matthew 18:20 that Jesus is with us always. 

Read 1 John 4:9 and note where Christ resided. 

God didn’t hold Jesus back, He sent Him into the world. He did this so that we could all live through him. Had He not gone into the world, God’s love wouldn’t have been made manifest. 

So let’s bring Jesus back into the world again! Let’s make Him manifest, which is another word for obvious, to the world around us. 

You ready? 

Reflect for a moment and ask God how you can open your door more. Not just for trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but ask God who can you invite into your home? Are there co-workers or neighbors that you could share a meal with? Could you host a neighborhood book club or an old fashioned potluck? 

You will be surprised how many people are longing for community and connection that live within a hundred yards of you. Invite them in, yes, but first you must go out to them.