Daily Devotional for December 23, 2014

Mark 13:33-37
So watch out and be ready! You don’t know when the time will come. It is like what happens when a man goes away for a while and places his servants in charge of everything. He tells each of them what to do, and he orders the guard to keep alert. So be alert! You don’t know when the master of the house will come back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or in the morning. But if he comes suddenly, don’t let him find you asleep. I tell everyone just what I have told you. Be alert!
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
“Are you ready for Christmas?”  This is the question of the day!  And if you are like many people, the answer is a resounding…”NO!”  There are still last-minute presents to wrap...turkeys, hams and pies to bake...rooms to be prepared for guests…and so much more!  And smack in the middle of it all…anything could happen!  A friend posted on Facebook that her mother was admitted to the hospital with Type A flu.  I’m reminded of a childhood Christmas when my sister, brother and I got a stomach virus…and we could have cared less about Santa – much less eating anything!  Three years ago on Christmas Eve, my Mam-ma Polly stepped out of my mom’s car, fell on our driveway, and hit her head…resulting in a concussion and a two-day hospital stay.  She never made it into the house for our holiday celebration!
 
So “life” happens, and we don’t know what lies around the next bend…or even what the next hour will hold!  But more importantly, Jesus “happens”…all around us – and we never know where or how He will show up…but I assure you, He IS coming!  So we must be awake and alert, as the scripture tells us.
 
Just as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, kings and others did not know when the baby Jesus would arrive…we have no clue when He will show up in the flesh again.  We just know that it will happen.  Meanwhile, Jesus arrives every day in some way, shape or form…and in this regard, “Christmas” comes all the time. Do you recognize Him?  Are YOU always and forever “ready for Christmas?”  Isn’t it time you were?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for January 6, 2013

Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid. I am with you.
Don’t tremble with fear.I am your God.
I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.

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.

I have been reminded that much of what we think is important in this life probably isn’t… and we’re wasting a lot of precious time. The young wife of my cousin JD has just been called home to heaven. She was in her early forties. Angie and JD married on January 8, 2011. Together, they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the United States… particularly in Arkansas, Indiana, and recently in Florida. This beautiful, Godly woman came into my cousin’s life a few short years ago and blessed him immensely. The two of them made a formidable team for Jesus and reached countless souls for Him.

For those who don’t know – or don’t remember – JD is got involved with drug abuse and drug dealing while still in high school. He ultimately ended up in prison, where he reconnected with Jesus in a profound way. JD came back into the general population a changed man. Then in late December 2008, while working as a logger, JD was hit in the face with the full force of a tree he had just cut. Virtually every bone in his face was broken, and he didn’t wake up for 9 days. JD spent the next three weeks in the hospital, and recovery and facial reconstruction took months. Through it all, he remained faithful to God and shared the message of Jesus Christ with everyone he encountered.

Believe me… I have asked God several times already why Angie has been called to heaven. She and JD were doing such tremendous work… serving so faithfully. I have asked God to strengthen JD and his immediate family – and all of us who know and love him – in the coming weeks and months. What I do know is that Angie was ready for heaven…and she was ushered into the presence of Jesus with open arms and a jubilant celebration. I also know that the service she rendered on this earth was not in vain… and will continue. God will equip JD to continue His work…He is with him and will provide him with protection – and more victories.

Surely the hand of God is evident in my cousin’s life… even on this heartbreaking day. And just as certainly, God is protecting each of us… giving us strength and reassurance – and victories. The question is… what are we giving in return? Are we serving to the best of our ability, like Angie? Is the name of Jesus on our lips and in our hearts… and is His presence in our life evident at all times? Do we exhibit in our Christian witness and daily living something that is desirable to others for themselves? Shouldn’t we?

If God calls you home this day, what will be your legacy? Will you enter His presence with assurance that you loved Him and served Him 110%? Are you able to think of your own arrival in heaven without fear or trembling, knowing that you operated fully in God’s strength and power? Wouldn’t this be a great time to make the necessary changes in your thinking… and your actions?

Please pray for JD and his family, and for Angie’s family… and also for their church family and many friends. May God bless them all.

©2013 Debbie Robus