Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
December 15, 2022
Read Romans 12:9-13
9 Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. 10 Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. 11 Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! 12 Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home.
Good Morning, Love should be shown without pretending!
Paul, a prolific writer, hits the ball out of the park with these five verses that summarize all that he preaches. Certainly, you could add examples and stories to solidify the understanding of the reader or listener, but this is what Christ calls us to do.
We are approaching the fourth Sunday of Advent which focuses on love, but for many, we are also reaching the frenzy that encompasses the Christmas season. Deadlines for mailing packages and gift buying are approaching. Our schedules are filled with great things to do and events to attend. How will we ever get everything done?
Today, we have some wintry weather to add to our challenges. We can look at this weather as an aggravation or we can accept it as a blessing to slow us down. Advent is a time of preparation, but we are not talking about our growing to-do lists that seem to grow in number each day. Our Advent preparation is a time to get our hearts and our souls ready for a new life in Christ. Allow the wonder of watching for that first snowflake to redirect your thoughts to love.
Advent is a time to start fresh as we continue to practice living as Christ taught us. Advent is a time to allow the Holy Spirit to reignite the fire within us. Think of a toddler who stumbles and falls as he learns to walk, or of a child who makes repeated attempts to correctly form the letters to write their name. Reliving the birth of Jesus allows us to revert to a simpler time during which we can work on getting “it” right.
What is “it”? It is everything that Paul tells us in these verses.
Be genuine in your love.
Focus on what is good
Love and honor each other
Be enthusiastic in your love (i.e. choose joy)
Be happy
Rely on God
Pray! And pray again.
Serve one another.
Wait! That’s a long list! What if we can’t remember them all?
When all else fails, Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. When you follow these two commandments, all of these others will fall into place.
Embrace Advent as a time to start your lives anew. When you open yourself to the awe and wonder that a new baby brings, your heart will catch fire and God’s love will pour from you. His name is called Emmanuel!
Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. We get so busy at this time of year. Help us to slow down and focus on Your love. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I can demonstrate my faith by sharing what I have with those in need.
Love one another! Pastor Liz