Devotion

After the Christmas tree is up (typically Thanksgiving weekend), I love sitting there in the early morning with my coffee, just enough light to read by and some type of Christmas devotion or study and my Bible.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus by Nancy Guthrie is one of my favorites. Nancy put together a variety of Christmas sermons and writings in this compilation. What I read this morning (on page 65) was by St. Augustine under the heading of John 1:1, 2, 14a.

John 1:14 NLT So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

What is proclaimed / taught in this passage is so familiar to those of us who have been walking with the Lord for a long time. And yet for its familiarity, it is such a hard saying to really comprehend. I mean, it is truly unfathomable to the human mind, isn’t it? How can we possibly understand fully that God came to be fully man, while still being fully God.

So is there anything to be gained from spending time meditating on this passage? Am I lazy if I don’t because I know it cannot be understood this side of heaven?

Lord, keep my mind on you long enough to build my faith by studying such fantastic concepts. As St. Augustine says,

Who can comprehend the abiding Word?. . . He ‘was’ before his own flesh; he created his own mother. He chose her in whom he should be conceived, he created her of whom he should be created.

In the very next devotion, J. I. Packer expounds on the same concept. He says, “Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of incarnation.” Then he refers us to 2 Corinthians 8:9, saying that our response should not just be that of marvel, but of the wonder of grace.

Father, I know that when I meet you in glory, I will be able to comprehend these things. Praise your name! And yet, here on earth, guide me to take the time to meditate on them and not just skip over them as I take them on faith. I want to be in awe. There is more you can teach me if I take the time.

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

I was glad to see this verse come up today in my 31-day challenge because it is one of my FAVORITES. But as I did some study on it, I realized that when he rejoices over us, it will be with a shout or song of victory. How easy it is as a child of God to forget that we are on the winning side!

So today, as you work with the children God has carefully planned for your care, are there any that you’ve “given up” on? Have you decided that it’s just impossible to make a difference, so you don’t spend any energy with him/her? Or maybe you’ve given up on a parent.

I pray that you will recognize the victory that you have as a child of God and pursue that with the child(ren), parents or co-workers that just seem impossible. Ask God for wisdom in how to approach him or her. He knows what will make a difference.