Daily Devotional for December 24, 2011

1 Chronicles 16:8-15
Praise the LORD and pray in his name! Tell everyone what he has done. Sing praises to the LORD! Tell about his miracles. Celebrate and worship his holy name with all your heart. Trust the LORD and his mighty power. Worship him always. Remember his miracles and all his wonders and his fair decisions.

You belong to the family of Israel, his servant; you are his chosen ones, the descendants of Jacob. The LORD is our God, bringing justice everywhere on earth. We must never forget his agreement and his promises, not in thousands of years.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

It’s finally here… one of the days we wait for all year long - Christmas Eve! No doubt, there will be celebration and worship going on in every corner of the world, as we revel in the birth of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. And surely more than a handful of promises have been made… “I promise to be good so Santa will come”… “I promise to stop over to visit during the holidays”… “I promise I won’t eat or drink too much”… “I promise not to spend more than I can afford”… “I promise to focus more on Jesus this year and less on the commercialism of the holidays.”

Many promises will be made with the best of intentions, but more than a few of these will also be broken. Thankfully, we serve a God who is just and fair and always honors His commitments. The promises He gave us in the prophecy of the Old Testament were fulfilled over 2000 years ago… and still hold up today. Jesus came to earth to live among us as a human being and to show us how to love one another and serve God wholeheartedly. He died on a cross to pay for our sins… and we cling to the promise of spending Eternity in Heaven with Him someday.

In this season of tinsel and garland, twinkling lights and decadent food, gifts and festivities extraordinaire, we must remember WHOSE we are… and WHY we celebrate. This is a great time to reflect on the miracles in our own lives that were performed by the same God who sent His only Son to earth so long ago. Acknowledge how blessed you are and how fair God has been in your life. Recognize that He promises to continue to bless you and work in and through you to accomplish great things in His name. The birth of Jesus Christ was completely wrapped in the promises of God’s hope and glory… and these promises and agreements are as solid today as they ever were.


THIS is the real reason we celebrate. This is the reason we gather and shower each other with love, gifts, food and more. We are saying, “Jesus has come, by the power of God! He has showered us with blessings and miracles… and He will continue to do so. Praise be to God for His great love and kindness.” Never will there be another birthday celebration so grand. We are truly honored to be included in this party. Will your celebration be fit for the King of Kings?

©2011 Debbie Robus