Jan 17 2008
Genuine Devotion
How long do you anticipate your Christmas will last this year? Everyone knows this is my favorite time of the year! For some folks though, Christmas may last about 45 minutes on Christmas morning, just long enough to open the presents and examine what was received. After the presents are opened then it is time to clean up and get on with your life.
On the other end of the spectrum, some folks attend one party after another, visit relatives throughout December, and take in Christmas plays, worship services, communion, and end the holiday just in time to start the upcoming year.
As we say in the Deep South, my family is as scattered as a covey of spooked quail. Translated, this means I will spend part of my Christmas in Memphis, Tenn. with my parents, travel to California to be with my sons and my daughter-in-law, then fly overseas to the Middle East to be with my wife, Mickie. At some point in time over the holiday, I will eventually make my way back to Georgia and have a little quiet Christmas time all by myself. Through all of my travels this Christmas, I will have the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ several times with my family.
It is not about what we are doing or how much we are doing at Christmas that matters, but instead, for whom we are serving. In all our busyness this Christmas, let us not forget our devotion to God and our love for His son, Jesus. We learn about setting our priorities wisely as we read Luke 10:38-42 which says:
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”
Even though both Martha and Mary were serving the Lord in different ways, Mary understood the importance of placing Christ above everything else. Keep Jesus as the central focus of all you do this holiday season, and throughout the year ahead.
