Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Well...it's that day once again. The day our proverbial clocks have been ticking down to for the past twelve months. The day most of us schedule our vacations, budgets, and celebrations around. The day that those who don't know Jesus stop what they're doing to either appreciate or protest Him. The day that represents His grand entrance into this world as our Savior and God's Greatest Gift. Merry Christmas! In all honestly, there's not much more to be written or said here that we haven't already read or heard. But let's take a different angle, a different approach to this day, this year. In celebrating God's Greatest Gift to us, let's not forget that His unbounded love lies behind that gift. It was because God loved that He gave His Son to us. And this love isn't just something to be received, but something to give. Jesus made that absolutely clear to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion. Knowing His time with them was coming to a close, He kept things short and simple for them. He commanded them to forward the gift of God's love to each other...which is a command that seems all the more meaningful on a day like today. Receiving the gift of God's love is what we're supposed to do, and we make it a special point to receive it on Christmas. But receiving His love is not all we're supposed to do. For when we truly recognize what we've been given, our natural response is to give it away to others. As God has loved us, we love each other. As God has given to us, we give to each other. So here's how we can make our Christmas different this year...in all the activity and excitement with family and friends, we need to take a time-out with the Lord. Let's get alone with Him, not just to thank Him for His love but to ask Him to open our eyes to see opportunities where we can forward the gift of love we've been given. So here's how we can make our Christmas different this year...in all the activity and excitement with family and friends, we need to take a time-out with the Lord. Let's get alone with Him, not just to thank Him for His love but to ask Him to open our eyes to see opportunities where we can forward the gift of love we've been given.