Romans 5:13
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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.
This is traditionally a day filled with a mixed bag of emotions. For some, there is a let-down. Christmas is officially “over” in their household, and it’s back to work – and on with “life”. Some will spend the day rushing to take down the tree and put away every indicator of the Christmas celebrated just a few hours ago. Others will be busy playing with new toys – or even new electronic gadgets and gizmos – and thinking about how to incorporate them into their daily living in the next few weeks/months. Still others will be completely relieved that a painful reminder of the loneliness and sadness in their lives has passed… and they can try to return to some semblance of “normalcy”.
I’ll admit… for just a few minutes after everyone left our house last night and it got really quiet, I looked around and wished everything was put away. But it was more a weariness from the busy day - and the thought of actually putting it all back in the closet - than a sense of finality. Several years ago, I gave myself permission to leave most of the Christmas decorations out until after New Year’s Day. For one thing, it takes me 2-3 days to get everything decorated… and it seems a shame to rush to put them away just 23 days later! More importantly, I’m simply not done with Christmas yet… and truly, none of us should be!
Hear me out… I’m not talking about the decorations and the gifts. Maybe you feel like you will burst or go into a diabetic coma if you eat one more cookie, bite of turkey or ham, or piece of chocolate. But that’s not the true story of Christmas anyway, now… is it?! The message of Christmas is the hope that God sent us in the form of a tiny baby who grew into a wise-beyond-his-years boy… and then into a young adult leader/teacher/healer. The story is how God came to us in human form to show us how to live for Him… how to walk with Him… and then suffered and died for us so that we can carry the power of His Holy Spirit in our hearts forever! We really, really need to revel in that a little while longer. If keeping the decorations up and celebrating with cookies and cocoa helps us to do that…then, we shouldn’t rush to “un-decorate”!
More importantly, we should do whatever it takes to keep the “spirit of Christmas” alive in our hearts and minds all through the year. We need to take some time to talk to God and study His word and allow Him to fill us with complete joy and peace. We must invite Him to fill our hearts and souls with the power of His Holy Spirit… and an unending source – and sense – of hope. We may not say “Merry Christmas” in June or July… but our attitude and demeanor should convey the joy, kindness and warmth that seem to flow so easily and readily in the first three weeks of December.
How will you treat your faith and God’s gift of hope in the next few days/weeks/months? Will this be the day that you pack Him away with the tree and decorations, dust your hands and say, “That’s it until next year!”? Or will you take time to sit quietly and reflect on the amazing gift God gave you? Will you give as much time and attention to thinking about how you can utilize God’s power and the teachings of Jesus in the coming months as you do to the new gifts you opened yesterday?
Isn’t this a day to take some time for a relaxing cup of cocoa or coffee… one last Christmas cookie…and a little conversation with God about where – and how – you’ll use His bequests in the coming year? Christmas isn’t over… it should be just beginning! In the words of the old carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” this is actually the Second Day! How are you spending yours?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label day after Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label day after Christmas. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for December 26, 2011
1 Chronicles 16:23-25
Everyone on this earth, sing praises to the LORD. Day after day announce, "The LORD has saved us!" Tell every nation on earth, "The LORD is wonderful and does marvelous things!
The LORD is great and deserves our greatest praise! He is the only God worthy of our worship.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Christmas Day has come and gone, and lots of people are very busy. There are gifts to exchange, holiday decorations to put away, and after-Christmas sales to attend. The focus has shifted to bowl games, New Year’s Eve celebrations, and what to do with the last week of Christmas break. In the blink of an eye, many of us have totally forgotten why we were celebrating the Christmas season in the first place.
But Christmas is about more than one day on the calendar. The true spirit of Christmas lies in the words of David… “Day after day, announce, ‘The LORD has saved us!’” We should live every single day of the year as if it were Christmas Day. We should be kind and loving toward others… ready to sing praises to the LORD and shout to all who will listen about the wonderful, marvelous things He does. Every day should be an opportunity to demonstrate to others how worthy God is of our praise, honor, glory… and absolute devotion.
I don’t have any gifts to exchange, but I do plan to hit a few post-holiday sales. I’m looking forward to watching “the ball” drop on New Year’s Eve and eating black-eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day. But I’m also going to make sure I reflect each and every day this week - and in the year ahead - on God’s amazing grace. I’m going to do all I can to demonstrate to others in my path just how He has blessed me… and how worthy He is of my complete worship.
Enjoy the rest of your Christmas break and the days leading to New Year’s Eve. But remember Christmas and all of the hope and promises that surround the season. Keep the Spirit of Christmas alive by celebrating and praising God each and every day. Tell everyone you meet how incredible deserving He is of our continual honor and glory. Everyone on this earth, sing praises to the LORD!
©2011 Debbie Robus
Everyone on this earth, sing praises to the LORD. Day after day announce, "The LORD has saved us!" Tell every nation on earth, "The LORD is wonderful and does marvelous things!
The LORD is great and deserves our greatest praise! He is the only God worthy of our worship.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Christmas Day has come and gone, and lots of people are very busy. There are gifts to exchange, holiday decorations to put away, and after-Christmas sales to attend. The focus has shifted to bowl games, New Year’s Eve celebrations, and what to do with the last week of Christmas break. In the blink of an eye, many of us have totally forgotten why we were celebrating the Christmas season in the first place.
But Christmas is about more than one day on the calendar. The true spirit of Christmas lies in the words of David… “Day after day, announce, ‘The LORD has saved us!’” We should live every single day of the year as if it were Christmas Day. We should be kind and loving toward others… ready to sing praises to the LORD and shout to all who will listen about the wonderful, marvelous things He does. Every day should be an opportunity to demonstrate to others how worthy God is of our praise, honor, glory… and absolute devotion.
I don’t have any gifts to exchange, but I do plan to hit a few post-holiday sales. I’m looking forward to watching “the ball” drop on New Year’s Eve and eating black-eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day. But I’m also going to make sure I reflect each and every day this week - and in the year ahead - on God’s amazing grace. I’m going to do all I can to demonstrate to others in my path just how He has blessed me… and how worthy He is of my complete worship.
Enjoy the rest of your Christmas break and the days leading to New Year’s Eve. But remember Christmas and all of the hope and promises that surround the season. Keep the Spirit of Christmas alive by celebrating and praising God each and every day. Tell everyone you meet how incredible deserving He is of our continual honor and glory. Everyone on this earth, sing praises to the LORD!
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for December 26, 2010
Hosea 6:3
Let's do our best to know the LORD. His coming is as certain as the morning sun; he will refresh us like rain renewing the earth in the springtime.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was a little girl, the day after Christmas was sort of a “regrouping” day in our house. We put away our Christmas gifts… exchanged our old toothbrushes for the new ones Santa left in our stocking (our grandmother worked for a dentist!), and my dad carried out the crispy-critter Christmas tree. We put away the holiday décor and the card tables and extra chairs that we had used to accommodate family and friends the day before. We put things back in order and, in some ways, renewed ourselves.
As kids, we still had a week or so of vacation time left, but it felt good to start a new chapter, so to speak… to switch gears from the excitement and anticipation of Christmas to focusing on having fun and looking ahead to the New Year. We were certain that another Christmas was only 364 days away… and there many fun times and new adventures that awaited us in the meantime.
On the night of December 25th, someone wrote on Facebook, “The day we wait for all year long has come and gone.” For some, the day after Christmas is something of a letdown. The hoopla is over… the food that looked so inviting a few days ago now doesn’t look so tasty…everyone has gone home or back to work… and we’re left with a mess to clean up, decorations to pack away, and a mountain of trash to carry to the curb.
If this describes you, please read Hosea 6:3 again. The day after Christmas is not a time for letdown. The day after Christmas is when the story really begins. The day of Jesus’ birth is important… but the days after are what really matter. If the story ended with December 25th (or whatever day is really the birthday of our Savior), there wouldn’t be much of a story. But this is not the case.
We need to dig deeply and truly get to know the Lord. We need to study and understand every nuance of our Jesus… His teachings… His sacrifices on our behalf… and His directives for us as servants and disciples. We need to bask in the afterglow of Christmas, confident that Jesus’ love for us – and His return some day – are as certain as the next sunrise – or the next Christmas Day. Yes, Christmas is important… but what happens the day afterward – and in the days that follow – is where we get to truly shine for Jesus.
What will you do today? Will the next few days be a time of “letdown” for you, or will you hitch up your britches and get busy for Jesus? When others look at you, will they see someone who carries the message and spirit of Christmas throughout the year, or are you a “one-month wonder”? Do your best to get to know Jesus… and to serve Him well every day of the year… not just the first twenty-five days of December. Bask in the promise of what lies ahead as you live for Him… and be renewed and refreshed this day!
©2010 Debbie Robus
Let's do our best to know the LORD. His coming is as certain as the morning sun; he will refresh us like rain renewing the earth in the springtime.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was a little girl, the day after Christmas was sort of a “regrouping” day in our house. We put away our Christmas gifts… exchanged our old toothbrushes for the new ones Santa left in our stocking (our grandmother worked for a dentist!), and my dad carried out the crispy-critter Christmas tree. We put away the holiday décor and the card tables and extra chairs that we had used to accommodate family and friends the day before. We put things back in order and, in some ways, renewed ourselves.
As kids, we still had a week or so of vacation time left, but it felt good to start a new chapter, so to speak… to switch gears from the excitement and anticipation of Christmas to focusing on having fun and looking ahead to the New Year. We were certain that another Christmas was only 364 days away… and there many fun times and new adventures that awaited us in the meantime.
On the night of December 25th, someone wrote on Facebook, “The day we wait for all year long has come and gone.” For some, the day after Christmas is something of a letdown. The hoopla is over… the food that looked so inviting a few days ago now doesn’t look so tasty…everyone has gone home or back to work… and we’re left with a mess to clean up, decorations to pack away, and a mountain of trash to carry to the curb.
If this describes you, please read Hosea 6:3 again. The day after Christmas is not a time for letdown. The day after Christmas is when the story really begins. The day of Jesus’ birth is important… but the days after are what really matter. If the story ended with December 25th (or whatever day is really the birthday of our Savior), there wouldn’t be much of a story. But this is not the case.
We need to dig deeply and truly get to know the Lord. We need to study and understand every nuance of our Jesus… His teachings… His sacrifices on our behalf… and His directives for us as servants and disciples. We need to bask in the afterglow of Christmas, confident that Jesus’ love for us – and His return some day – are as certain as the next sunrise – or the next Christmas Day. Yes, Christmas is important… but what happens the day afterward – and in the days that follow – is where we get to truly shine for Jesus.
What will you do today? Will the next few days be a time of “letdown” for you, or will you hitch up your britches and get busy for Jesus? When others look at you, will they see someone who carries the message and spirit of Christmas throughout the year, or are you a “one-month wonder”? Do your best to get to know Jesus… and to serve Him well every day of the year… not just the first twenty-five days of December. Bask in the promise of what lies ahead as you live for Him… and be renewed and refreshed this day!
©2010 Debbie Robus
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