Devotionals for the Heart: 7 Ways to Keep Jesus at the Center of Christmas

How to Keep Jesus at the Center of Your Christmas Season
A devotional by Jamie De Silvia

“The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”—John 1:14 (CEB)

Decorating your house and home, shopping for loved ones, wrapping gifts, baking delicious desserts, and engaging in traditional holiday events can increase our Christmas joy—but they can also steal it! 

The holiday season often feels overwhelming and stressful. It’s easy to get distracted and forget what matters most. But we have hope! It is possible to have a joyful holiday season without experiencing too much stress.

Here are some ways to keep Jesus Christ at the center this Christmas season:

#1: Add an advent devotional to your daily routine. Begin at any time in December and continue into January if needed. We need daily encouragement that realigns our focus. Amazon has a great selection, with advent devotionals under $10. There are also free online devotionals from Lifeway, Focus on the Family, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and more!

#2: Fast from your phone during the first hour of the day. It's easy to jump on our phones first thing in the morning and start checking texts and emails, online shopping, or scrolling mindlessly. I've committed to keeping the first part of my day phone-free in December to spend time in Christ’s presence and experience His joy and peace.8

#3: Meditate on Christ’s birth by imagining yourself in the stable with Him. Perhaps God gave you an imagination for this very purpose. Consider picturing yourself with the baby Jesus, letting the Holy Spirit guide the interaction. Years ago, the Lord spoke to me through a nativity vision in my mind’s eye. I wrote about it on my blog in 2013 and the Lord urged me last year to record it as a guided meditation. I think it will bless you! Listen to my 15-minute message by looking up this episode “A Moment with Baby Jesus” on my official podcast (https://jamiedesilvia.com/podcast/).

#4: Release the desire or pressure to make everything perfect for the people in your life. Do you struggle with making others happy to the detriment of your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being? Me too. Beware of doing things simply because they are expected. How many traditions are we keeping that won’t be missed if we let them go? Stick with the ones that matter. How concerned are we with perfection? We want the house to look perfect, the gifts to be perfect, and the event to unfold perfectly. What if you are wearing yourself out unnecessarily? Beloved, you are not responsible for the happiness of others this Christmas.

#5: Meditate on the lyrics of your favorite Christmas carols. Some of our favorite carols are rich with words we can use in prayer or for journaling. If you’re unsure where to start, search the internet for the lyrics of “Silent Night”, “Come Let Us Adore Him”, or “O Holy Night”, and write them down in your journal. Consider personalizing some lyrics or writing additional lines to express your worship! If you find a phrase that really speaks to you, write it on a sticky note or 3x5 card to keep it in sight throughout the day.

#6: Watch a nativity movie with family or friends. What a wonderful way to reflect on Christ’s birth. It’s perfect for all ages and readily available via streaming services. After the movie, have an informal discussion to hear what stood out to each person. What spoke to you? Did you learn anything new? Talk about which character you related to the most. Discuss what you are most grateful for.

#7: Explore this prayer or journaling prompt: “Jesus, what can I give You this Christmas?” What a valid question to ask ourselves this holiday season! He gave us the gift of Himself (John 3:16). Why not consider giving Him something in return? I hesitate to give examples because I want you to leave room for the simple request, the off-the-wall surprise, or the painfully hard thing He might ask of you. I don’t know what Jesus wants from you this Christmas, but I do know this—you will experience more peace and joy when you offer it to Him.

Are you ready to adjust your holiday trajectory? You and I have gotten in the habit of rushing and stressing, but it’s not too late to slow down and intentionally set Him at the center of the Christmas season.

Let’s Pray: Lord, it’s Your season. Turn my eyes toward You and the wonder of Your birth. Show me where You want me to conserve energy and resources. Open my eyes to see what expectations or unfruitful traditions You are calling me to let go of this year. Show me where I need to shift my energy into worship, rest, and connecting with others. I want to experience Your joy and peace. I want to walk in freedom this Christmas. I release the happiness of others to You, Lord. Guide my steps as I move through the rest of this season. Increase my awareness of Your presence so I can sense You walking with me. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Need A Silent Night” by Amy Grant. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jamie De Silvia is an author and teacher from Southern California with a passion for helping women connect with the heart of God. 

She has hosted two seasons of the “Pressing In” podcast and authored two devotional books: Come Hear the Song of the Shepherd (a 30-day devotional journey through Psalm 23) and You Shall Be Praised (a 40-day devotional offering a fresh perspective on Proverbs 31).

Jamie offers encouragement on Instagram and Facebook to help you draw closer to Jesus. She is married with two adult daughters and a teenage son. Jamie enjoys oil painting, playing games with her family, and savoring a good chai latte.

~*~
Connect with Jamie:
Website: https://jamiedesilvia.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiedesilvia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiedesilviaauthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jamiedesilvia
Email: jamie@jamiedesilvia.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Why change requires us to be devoted

Change Requires Devotion
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

“The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers.”—Acts 2:42 (CEB)

“What are you reading these days?” A good friend asked me during a recent phone call.

I looked at the pile of books on my coffee table, feeling ashamed that I had started so many personal development texts and was struggling to complete even one.

“I’m reading five books right now,” I replied honestly, choosing to be real to both me and my sister-in-Christ, “but I am having difficulty finishing them.”

I explained how impressed I was with the content of the books, but when it came to applying the suggested behavioral changes, I fell short. Trying to make big modifications on my own, and keeping consistent, seemed impossible.

As we talked, I remembered reading a Bible passage where thousands of people turned their lives around, changing their customary behaviors. The Apostle Luke recorded this event, known as the birth of the Church, in the New Testament book of Acts.

Acts 2 tells the story of the Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaching the truth of Jesus Christ to the people in Jerusalem. A few weeks prior, the same crowd had the Messiah crucified on the cross. Now, hearing the accurate account, they were feeling deep conviction of having done God wrong, and sought change.

“When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’” –Acts 2:37 (CEB)

Peter immediately gave them instruction. According to Acts 2:38 (CEB), he replied, “Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:41 tells us that about three thousand people accepted Peter’s message that day and were baptized! And they didn’t stop their transformation there. Our feature scripture reveals the action steps these early Christians took to radically change their lives. According to Acts 2:42 (CEB), “The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers.”

They devoted themselves. The turn about from bad behavior to good habits requires a level of commitment that is all in.We see that the believers were all in with submission to the Apostles’ teachings, meeting daily in the Temple (Acts 2:46). They were all in being accountable to the community, sharing everything they owned, food and belongings, with one another (Acts 2:42 and Acts 2:44). And they were all in praying to God (Acts 2:42).

What did not happen was an attempt to go it alone. The early Church did not practice once a week and then retreat home to the same-same routine. Changing their lives required daily work and accountability to others. The result of this devotion to change was a community that came together for good rather than for bad. And God blessed them with growth—personal growth and church growth.

Are there changes in your life that you know need to happen, yet you struggle to implement them? Has a daily discipline of reading your Bible or praising God been difficult to maintain?

Let’s let the early believers teach us how to proceed from deep conviction to blessed by God by following their example of devotion: Devotion to God. Devotion to others. And devotion to practicing daily disciplines of Bible learning, generosity with one another, and prayer.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we love You and want to please You. But we struggle to change from old habits. Fill us Your Holy Spirit to help us with Your desire for our lives. Thank You for the example we find in the Acts 2 church. Help us to be all in for Your Kingdom and Your people. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Change Me Now” by Babbie Mason. Listen here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove has a diverse background in business, fitness, and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served women in the homeless community. 

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She was privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she’s served, Sharon sees the great need for encouragement and connection. Within ministries served, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and building cross-cultural communities has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys nature, deep conversations, and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown children.

Currently, Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, writing devotionals for other websites, and is working on a nonfiction book titled The Whole-Of-Us: Putting Church Back Together.

~*~
Connect with Sharon:
Email: sharon@sharonmusgrove.com
Website: Sharonmusgrove.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonkmusgrove/

Devotionals for the Heart: Life Lessons about Waiting on God to Show Up

Waiting On God
A devotional by Sharon Musgrove

The Lord said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the Lord. The Lord is passing by.” A very strong wind tore through the mountains and broke apart the stones before the Lord. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. After the fire, there was a sound. Thin. Quiet. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his coat. He went out and stood at the cave’s entrance. A voice came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 

–1 Kings 19:11-13 (CEB)

How do we respond when God does not show up when we expect Him to?

Do we question Him along the lines of: Is He real? Does He care?

Maybe we question ourselves thinking, Did I misunderstand? Am I a fool for waiting on Him? Questions like these can be detrimental to our faith, tearing us down from the inside. But rather than wondering what went wrong between us and God, these are times that build us up in relationship with Him.

Elijah’s experience, written in 1 Kings 19:11-13, of waiting on God has helped me stay steadfast in faith and quiet the internal relationship interrogation. Elijah was told that God was coming and to wait for Him. Elijah waited through all sorts of calamities that any of us would hope to find God in. Yet God did not present as expected.

This passage reveals that though we go through difficult times, God will show up in His time, not ours. And when He shows up, we will be filled with awe. I had this experience years ago when our family took a week’s vacation to Hawaii. Upon landing, I had this sense that God wanted to say something to me. So, I began each morning reading my Bible and opening my ears to what He wanted to disclose.

Day one of listening for God to speak went by and yet I heard nothing. Day two...nothing. Days three, four, and five...still no word from God. I began to question both God and me. Looking heavenward I prayed: Hello, up there. God, did You say to listen or am I just making it up?

By day six I was weary of the waiting. I felt like I had wasted a vacation waiting on God’s arrival. But in that moment, I felt an urgency to take my journal down to the seashore. Yet it was raining outside, so I prayed: Father, I have trusted You all week. I am confused and disappointed that I am not hearing what You have to say to me. Yet as Elijah, I will take my journal to the ocean as soon as the weather clears.

The weather cleared the day we were departing. Remembering my promise to God, I gathered my book and pen and walked over to a rocky inlet near our accommodations then sat in silence.

In that cove there was a sea turtle eating greens growing on the volcanic crag. Waves rolled in and out, tossing that creature wildly to and fro. To my eyes it seemed a dangerous place for an animal to be, the Pacific’s strength working against her.

In that moment, God visited me. He spoke to my heart about His design on my life, using the unique sea turtle design, the hard shell, sharp beak, and the flipper-like feet, as metaphors for His equipping me to live in rough “surf”. Immediately I was filled with awe and humbled to the core for the personal word spoken over me. The doubts I’d had throughout the week dissipated and my faith grew in our relationship.

Are you struggling in your relationship with God because of hard times? Have your expectations of Him gone unmet? Friend, God is not absent nor unaware of your problems. He will arrive to meet you in your moment at the perfect time, one that grows your faith in Him.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for sharing Elijah’s story to help us know You. We ask to be built up in our relationship with You that we might be faithful people to You and an encouragement to others. May we always look on You with awe. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Wait on the Lord” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “In the Waiting” by Vicki Yohe. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Sharon Musgrove is a self-proclaimed sociologist. The opportunities opened to her, over the years, have led her on a fascinating journey observing human behavior.

She has a diverse background in business, fitness, and health industries. This background led her to a unique position writing curriculum and teaching for two private, Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served women in the homeless community.

Sharon has traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the rural Maasai communities. She’s been privileged to participate in Leadership camps for maturing young women. These annual camps have a mission of encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often abused young Maasai girls.

Identifying personally with the brokenness of the women she’s served, Sharon sees all people as needing more encouragement regardless of cultural or socioeconomic status. Within these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its transformative power has become her passion.

In her leisure time, Sharon enjoys her garden, health food, travel, and a good story. She and her husband, Jeff, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown children.

Currently, Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, but prefers sharing face to face. Additionally, she is studying Christian fiction writing.

~*~
Connect with Sharon:
Website: Sharonmusgrove.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060

Devotionals for the Heart: Jessica's thoughts on the value of being patient

Cultivating A Patient Heart
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

I used to be so impatient. Everything had to be right now, just this second, or I was tapping my foot or huffing out a sigh so scathing that my dissatisfaction would not go unnoticed.

Every moment had to be occupied. I couldn’t stand in line at the grocery store without reading the magazines, couldn’t eat my morning cereal without inhaling a book, couldn’t drive my car a block without cranking up the radio.

Silence was the epitome of boredom. Now! Rush! Hurry! Busy! Go!

Until one day, the chaos erupted and I’d had enough. Life felt like a series of overwhelming emotional volcanoes that spewed lava in the form of distraction and empty noise. Decades spent filling the quiet had left me raw, like a fresh wound without a bandage.

Enough.

It had to stop.

Instead of picking up my phone in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, I began to close my eyes and listen to the others patients quietly talking.

Instead of blasting music when I drove, I’d flip the switch to “off,” crack the windows, and bask in the hum of the wind.

Instead of running on the treadmill with my audiobook, I began to jog through my neighborhood listening to the birds and the squirrels.

Instead of filling my days with noise, I began to seek the silence, to crave the silence and ultimately, to love the silence.

And in doing so, my impatient heart began to transform, grow and blossom. A feeling of contentment and joy started to seep in where restlessness had lurked. Silence, and my growing rest within that silence, became the water that allowed patience to grow.

Soon, I noticed other changes. Before, I’d snap at my three-year-old for her tantrums. But thanks to patience, I’d stop, breathe, hug her, and take her hands. “Let’s try again,” I’d say and be surprised at how relaxed I felt.

Instead of firing back at a nasty letter to my newspaper, I’d shake my head, close my eyes, and ask God to give me the words to reply.

In the apostle Paul’s letter to the early Christians in Corinth, he tells us we have nothing if we don’t have love. But what is love?

Paul tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a CEB)

God is love. And if we are following Christ, we know we are to try our best to be as much like Him as possible. That means letting go of selfish, prideful, evil ways and letting love prevail.

If love is kindness, that means being kind. If love is trusting and hopeful, we are to do the same.

And if love is patient, we have no business tapping our feet, huffing our breath, and filling our time with diversions.

We are to bask in the love and beauty that is God and let His love—His patience, His kindness—flow through us. Always.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Glorious Love for Humankind

Safe in the glorious, perfect love of God
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“The Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”

—Genesis 3:9 (CEB)

There is something about early morning that connects me in the deep, beautiful love I share with God.

A hush still envelops the world, and I hear only the birds twittering in the trees and the squirrels scavenging furiously for nuts, perhaps a few cars in the distance, but not enough to disturb. My house is quiet—the kids are drowsing in their beds. My husband is snoozing peacefully. Even my cat isn’t quite ready to move.

There’s a special magic in the air, and my heart and soul are still in dreamland, even if my body is in motion. I drink a glass of water and look out the window, marveling at creation and steeped in gratitude for all God has given us—given me. 

I brew coffee and think about the day, carrying God along for every step. He’s right there with me, and it feels so natural and right. We are close, still, before the day and its distractions threaten to drive a wedge between us, a wedge I’ll try to fight all day. But this early, there are no distractions yet. It’s just me and God, as it should be. As He intended.

We talk together in prayer, and I sit and read His Word, bathing in His presence. Thank you, God, is my refrain, sometimes spoken and sometimes thought. You, Lord, are everything.

Once in a while, I have a little extra time to go for a walk, and I lace up my sneakers and stride down the road to the lake and back again, a good two-mile loop before the heat of the day makes exercise unbearable. My connection stays with God all this time—I feel Him in every step, every breath, every beam of sunlight.

Sometimes it doesn’t happen like this. I oversleep, or I have so many things on my mind I crowd out such special time with my Creator. I read the Word, but my own thoughts and plans creep in, or my prayers feel rushed. The connection, on my end, is slippery. I have to work throughout the day to rein it in and stay close.

But I’ve learned over the years that this connection is critical to my love relationship with God. That’s “our time,” whether it comes in the early morning solitude or when I allow myself to fully relax and just be. And I strive as I grow in faith for “our time” to be “all the time,” with every breath and every thought.

I imagine that’s how it was in the first days, when God created Adam and Eve and they all lived in perfect harmony together (Genesis 2:4-25). They spoke together. They shared, loved, laughed, and talked. But then came the fall, when Adam and Eve broke God’s rule and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and their relationship was forever changed. They were driven from the garden. Their sin had become an eternal wedge, only mended through God’s grace in the form of His son, Jesus.

I like to think of my morning time as if I’m back in the garden with the Lord, sharing creation in pure accord as He’d intended. And I think of the distractions of my day, the things I put before God (even though I don’t mean to!), as that wedge—the forbidden fruit I must avoid. I know I’m not in the garden, of course. I know only through Jesus can I fully connect with God.

Still, I read these lines in the Bible, and they resonate profoundly: “The Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9 CEB).

Throughout my busy day, I hear God asking, “Where are you?” The question brings me back, and I remember exactly where I am: safe in the glorious, perfect love of God.

~*~
Author Bio:
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.

Devotionals for the Heart: How to tell the gospel story of Jesus Christ

Tell the Story
A devotional by Carrie Del Pizzo

“As for us, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
~Acts 4:20 (CEB)

The Apostles amaze me. In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John were telling folks about Jesus when they were picked up by the temple guard. The high priest and the Pharisees thought they had solved that Jesus problem when they had him killed, but He was like a bad penny. He always turned up.

So they started arresting people who followed Him. Peter and John were brought before the temple leaders and told very clearly to stop it. Stop telling people about Jesus.

Peter and John’s response is just as clear. Can’t do it. Actually, in the previous verse, they tell the Pharisees, “We’ll let you figure out if we should obey God or you.” Ouch. And then they continue on to say that they can’t stop speaking.

Sometimes I read this and wonder what I’m supposed to do. Should I tell my neighbor about Jesus? What about the cashier at the grocery store? Am I supposed to stop all those cars driving by?

Yes, we should be sharing Jesus with those around us, but I don’t think we need to endanger ourselves. (Especially since the road by my house is a highway.) But I did see someone who “can’t stop speaking” and I think he makes a pretty good modern-day example.

My family recently watched The Greatest Showman (movie) about the life of P.T. Barnum. If you like music, even a little bit, this is a very entertaining movie. I also came across an interview with Hugh Jackman, the star of the film, and Michael Gracey, the director. They tell the story of trying to get the green light to make the movie.

After eight months of work, they got all the studios executives, money people, and decision makers in one room so they could read and sing through the entire script. But the day before, Mr. Jackman had a spot of skin cancer removed from his nose. Because of his eighty stitches, the doctor said, “No singing.”

So, he had to let someone else do his singing for him. He read his lines, acted and gestured, but no singing. Until the song “From Now On.” It was the big number near the end. Like every good story, the main character, P.T. Barnum, stumbled and struggled. But in this scene, he learns from his mistakes and decides to make a change.

The song is very encouraging and moving. So moving, in fact, that Mr. Jackman can’t stop singing. Oh, he tried. Hands on hips, lips pursed, he shakes his head as though telling himself not to do it. But he just can’t hold it in. When he finally opens his mouth, he sings with unbridled passion, the rest of the cast cheers him on, and the room fires up with energy.

Yes, Hugh Jackman is a professional who is well paid for his moving performances. But in that critical workshop, when the entire movie was on the line, this man believed so much in the story they were telling that he could not stop himself from laying it all out there.

At the end of the clip, Mr. Jackman discovers blood trickling down his nose, and the next day he was back in his doctor’s office to get the popped stitches repaired. But from the smile on his face, I’m guessing he didn’t regret his decision for a minute.

And that’s how we need to be about Jesus. We don’t need to stop traffic or strike up conversation with total strangers. But when you’re with someone who is searching for the truth and wondering who this Jesus is, don’t even try to stop yourself from sharing His amazing story.

~*~
Author Bio:

In this world of texts, memes, and emojis, slowing down to truly communicate can feel like straining a muscle you haven’t exercised in far too long.

Seventeen years of business experience across a variety of industries has taught Carrie Del Pizzo the fine art of professional communications. Partnering with corporate executives and entry-level employees alike, she has written and edited major project proposals, direct marketing pieces, sensitive client communications, employee handbooks, and user manuals.

Carrie’s love of literature and story has led her to develop and exercise her fiction writing skills as well. Aside from her personal creative efforts, she also edits for self- and traditionally-published authors and enjoys writing short dramas for church presentation.

Carrie is a wife, mom of three Americans and host-mom to numerous exchange students. Italian-by-marriage means she loves to cook and eat. She lives in Spokane, WA, with her hilarious family, who keeps her in stitches and provides piles of material for great stories.

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Light

Shining God’s Light
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

One of my favorite things to do lately is go into really busy places, like gas stations or the grocery store, and spread some God-inspired peaceful light and love.

Like the rest of us, in today’s fast-paced society I am more than guilty of rushing to and fro, getting so tunnel-visioned in my thinking that I miss out on important connections with others—sometimes even the people right next to me.

It doesn’t help that so many of us spend such a great deal of time staring into small rectangular screens—our cell phones—giving us yet another reason not to connect with our fellow humans. When was the last time you waited at a doctor’s office and actually talked to the person a few seats over instead of checking Facebook or email on your phone?

But as a Christian, I’ve lately become convicted that I am called not just to love my family and my close friends, as well as people in need and people in my church, but I also need to love the people all around me—the general public. I’m talking about the cashier who rings up my sale. The teenager who hands me my salad through the drive-through window. The lady who takes my money at the tollbooth. The elderly man thumbing through a magazine next to me at the dentist.

“I’m just soooo busy” can no longer be my excuse in life. Instead, I’m making a huge effort to stay off my phone when I’m in public and instead try to connect with people around me. Even if they’re lost in their own cell phones, at least I can send some loving prayer vibes their way. When it’s my turn at the cash register, I no longer care how grumpy the clerk looks. I find a way to look into her eyes and give her a sincere thank you.

Even in the first century, early Christians had places to go and things to do. Jesus and his disciples knew this, knew money and security vied for his followers’ hearts far more than anything else. But time and again, Scripture reminds us that loving others is far more important than our own concerns.

“This is love: it is not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us this way, we also ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God remains in us and his love is made perfect in us. This is how we know we remain in him and he remains in us, because he has given us a measure of his Spirit." 

~1 John 4:10-13 (CEB)

Loving others is loving God. Let’s shine His light together.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.

Devotionals for the Heart: God First

God first, others second
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

We keep a sign in our house that says, “God first, others second, self last.”

I thought I put it there for my kids, but as a reformed people-pleaser, I now know it’s there just as much for me as for them.

See, I’ve always felt like that awkward girl—the one who didn’t quite fit in. I was painfully shy, but I moved around a lot and also did a lot of theater, so I learned enough social skills to get by. Still, making real, lasting friendships wasn’t easy. Between trust issues and girl drama, I was always overly concerned about whether people liked me or what I could do to make friends. People-pleasing became an idol in my life.

Finally one day, well into my adulthood, I had enough of the games and the worrying. As my relationship with God grew stronger and I became more committed in my faith, I realized it no longer mattered what others thought. It only mattered what God thought.

But it was hard to unshackle my former chains. I’d become somewhat of a slave to my people-pleasing mentality. I had to retrain myself to “hit pause” or “reset” when an unhealthy thought would enter my head, to shut down my initial instinct to wonder, “Hmm, what might they think?” Instead, I focused on whether I was pleasing God.

Today, I hope this has become a natural habit. But I know I am a flawed human woman with a foot in two worlds: my eternal future with God and this temporary, earthly realm. And sometimes the voices of others clamor for attention so loudly that they threaten to drown out God’s almighty call on my heart.

I try my best to combat that by beginning my day in prayer and with Bible reading, and by being aware of the struggle between the world and the Lord. While I have an obligation and a mission to spread God’s love in the world, there’s a big difference between loving the people in the world and being influenced by those people.

That’s why the apostle Paul’s encouragement to the early church in Colossae speaks to me today. In his letter, Paul tells us to do all we do—whether that’s loving our family members or in our labors—in the name of Jesus.

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people. You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ.”

 ~Colossians 3:23-24 (CEB)

You serve the Lord, he said—not people—so serve from the heart. Serve joyfully, in love, just as we love our Lord, for loving and serving our family is loving God. Loving and serving others is loving God. Loving and serving our “master” (modern day read on this is “boss”) is loving God.

God first. I pray I can always remember that.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 ACFW Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight

Devotionals for the Heart: Kindness

Loving God by loving my guy
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

I have a cute little game I play with my husband, only I’ve never actually told him about this.

Every day, I try to out-do him in kindnesses. You know, those small things that make everyday life go more smoothly: I empty the dishwasher. If the gas tank is low and I know we’ll be trading cars tomorrow, I fill up the gas tank. I tell him he is hands-down the most handsome guy in the world (he totally is).

The basic theory is that I try to one-up him in generous love. After all, I’ve figured out that when I win, he wins.

What’s been really neat about this unspoken game is that he does nice stuff back for me and tries to out-do me in generous love and little kindnesses.

It's a win-win circle.

One thing that is so great about a God-centered marriage is that we know love is one of the Lord’s top two commandments, and one huge way I can love God is by loving my husband.

And there are so many ways to love him! I can love him with my words, with my service, with my time. I can love him with honor and respect, just like he loves me with honor and respect. I can love him by loving his family (that’s super-easy, because they are incredible). I’m a busy woman. I work full-time running a Christian newspaper, I’m a wife, I’m the mom and stepmom of four kids, I’m active at church and in my small group, and I’m an author, blogger, freelance editor, and writing coach. I might scrimp on doing my hair (love me some ponytails). I might not vacuum as often as I’d like.

But one thing I don’t scrimp on: loving my guy.

The apostle Paul had some helpful things to say about a God-centered marriage and a godly life. He urged us to “submit to each other out of respect for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21, CEB). Submit means yield, surrender, capitulate. It echoes what Jesus himself taught us in the Gospel of Matthew, that if someone slaps you on the right cheek, “You must turn the left cheek to them as well” (Matthew 5:39). If they take your shirt, “Let them have your coat too” (Matthew 5:40). If they make you go one mile, “Go with them two” (Matthew 5:41).

Out-do each other in generosity. Yield. Love. Surrender. Model wild, extravagant sacrifice.

Model the example of Jesus.

This works in a God-centered marriage. My husband loves me and honors me, too. He doesn’t hurt me physically or emotionally. He wants what’s best for me. I do the same for him. It’s a two-way street.

Whether you are married or not, try my Out-Do in Kindness Game in your own life. Try it with strangers (pay for someone’s meal in a drive-thru or their toll on the turnpike). Try it in your home. Try it at church. Hold the door for people. Let someone else go first.

When others win, we all win.

We’re all in this together.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 ACFW Genesis Award for her as-yet-unpublished novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Learn more about her fiction and read her blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.