Monthly Articles

Devotionals

Devotional - Tis The Season?

Where has this year gone? It seems just like yesterday that we were celebrating the 4th of July. But here we are. Thanksgiving has come and gone. I trust everyone had a wonderful time of blessings with their family during Thanksgiving. Now, we look towards Christmas. I don't know about you, but I dearly love Christmas. I love the decorations. I love the spirit of good will that pervades the season. I even love snow! But more than anything else, I love Jesus. Every year, it seems we so easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle, the shopping and wrapping, the cooking and partying. And we loose focus that all the presents, decorations, or any of the festivities would be meaningless, but for that precious babe that lay in that manger in Bethlehem. I have always loved the saying, "Jesus is the Reason for the Season." And He is. I'm not using a song this month to write the devotional, although there are plenty. Silent Night. O, Holy Night. You name it. I just want to get you to stop for a minute or to, and catch you breath, and think about the real purpose for this season. It doesn't matter whether Jesus was actually born on December 25th or not. It's important that we take the time to celebrate that He was born. It's important that we take the time to tell the Christmas Story again to all the children. And to the Adults, too! We need to remember that still night, when the star rose, when the Angels sang, and when God poured out more love on this earth that it could hold. It was an event so important that the Shepherds left their flocks in the field and went to find Him. It was so important that Wise Men traveled for years to find Him. It was so important that the Heavens exploded with the announcement! It was the announcement that God's Son had stepped out of Eternity and into Time, and had been born, as a man, for the sole purpose to redeem man. And not just any man or woman, it was you! It was me! He came as that precious Baby depicted in all the Nativity scenes. But He grew up, and lived a sinless life, that He could take our place, and buy us back, redeem us, to reconcile and restore us back to His Father. That's the story! That's the reason! It's the reason we sing the carols. It's the reason we give gifts to each other, just as God gave His gift to us. It's why we decorate and celebrate. There's nothing wrong with the decoration or the celebration, as long as we do it for the right reason. Don't let it become a reason unto itself. We give, because God gave. We sing, as the Angels sang. We rejoice, as the Shepards rejoiced. All those things are great. But always remember, the one and only reason is Jesus!! I hope you and yours have a blessed, wonderful Christmas!! Blessings, Bob Whitehead