Daily Devotional for December 19, 2013

Psalm 27:4-5
The one thing I ask of the Lord—
    the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
    delighting in the Lord’s perfections
    and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
    he will hide me in his sanctuary.
    He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

 
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
“All I want for Christmas…” is a phrase that is uttered countless times by children of ALL ages every year.  This is the first year that Timothy has really understood about Santa Claus. And he has a list – a Spiderman pillow pal, cars and trucks, and “other stuff”!
Isn’t that how we are so much of the time?  We have a list of specific things that we want from God… and a lot of “other stuff”.  We are anything but single-minded, when in fact, all we need is to seek the house of the LORD all the days of our life… to delight in His perfections and meditate in His temple.  If we focus on God, He truly will conceal us in the sanctuary of His love, grace, wisdom and mercy when the troubles come…and they will come in this earthly lifetime!
 
In this season when our focus is scattered in a zillion different directions, let’s stop and take a minute to reel things in… to pull back on the festivities and plans and wishes and expectations and focus on God’s gift of Jesus Christ… the real reason for Christmas and so much more.  If we pin our hopes on Jesus… if we concentrate on living with Him as the center of our very being… everything else truly is “other stuff”… as it should be.
 
What are you asking for this Christmas?  Who are you seeking?  Are you hoping for – and expecting – to receive your heart’s desires… because they line up with those of God Almighty through His Son, Jesus Christ?  Will this be the season that you begin to seek the One Thing that matters and forget the “other stuff”?  Are you ready to rest in the safety of His love and care?  Will this be the day you start to make it happen?
 
©2013 Debbie Robus

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