Because of our faith, Christ has brought us
into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently
and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice, too, when we
run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our
confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For
we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill
our hearts with His love. Romans 5:2-5
 |
| Jesus told Peter to "Shepherd My Sheep" |
Christmas is over…or is it? Epiphany isn’t
until January 6th. This poem or litany, "Now the Work of Christmas
Begins", was written by Howard Thurman, an African-American theologian,
educator, and Civil Rights Leader, to mark the end of the Christmas Season. May
that work begin now…in our hearts.
“Now the Work of Christmas Begins”
When
the song of the angels is stilled,
When
the star in the sky is gone,
When
the kings and princes are home,
When
the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The
work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among the people,
To make music in the heart.
These actions are all things that Jesus
did. Think about what you need to do on a daily basis to keep Christmas alive,
not only in your own life, but in the lives of those around you, all year long.
Keeping Christmas alive allows God to work in our hearts—filling us with His
love—so that we can love others for Him. From that list above do you see
something that you can make for a goal for next year, next month, this week…today?
Having a goal motivates us to put our heart's desires into action.
Prayer
~ Holy Spirit, help me to find the lost in the community around me, to assist
in healing those with broken spirits, to feed the hungry—spiritually and
physically, to release those who are prisoners within their emotions or homes
that they would be rebuilt physical or spiritually, to bring peace to those
nearby and to make music within my heart—that it may flow out to others around
me. Let Your love shine.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
No comments:
Post a Comment