MONDAY
Merry Christmas!
Christmas is a time for all of us to remember Jesus’ miraculous birth and remember He came to “save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). In remembering his first coming, we are reminded that he will one day come again (Rev 19-22). Yet, we sit with our to-do lists in the middle of these two glorious events. We all feel the pressure of the Kids Christmas Pajama Party, the Women’s Christmas concert/event, Christmas in the Chapel, and Christmas Eve Services. We feel the pressure of our family Christmas activities and traditions. We feel the pressure of making plans with family and friends. Amidst all this, Christmas can cease to be a time of joy and become a time of tasks and checklists.
Psalm 46 is the famous Psalm that says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Many often miss the beginning of the Psalm, which explains why we can ‘be still and know.’ It begins with “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble” (46:1). As it goes on, it says if the world falls apart, God is still there for you. No matter what happens in your life, God will help, protect, and be with you. That is why you can be still and know He is God.
The main title of God in this psalm is “Lord of Armies.” God is indeed the Lord of all military forces or bodies of power. There is nothing more powerful than him. No nation, government, or army can negate Him as a helper and protector. No Christmas event, family situation, mistake, or struggle will ever stop God from being your Helper and Protector.
So take time now and be still. Take time now to remind yourself who God is. Pause and be with Him. Remember that it is not accomplishing your to-do list that will make an impact this Christmas, but Christ working in and through you as your protector and helper.
TUESDAY
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 121. It is a liturgical Psalm used for worship. The priest would speak, and the people would respond together. The priest would proclaim Psalm 121:1, “I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?” The people would respond with, “My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1-2) The theme throughout this psalm is God as Protector. He is the one who gives help to His people.
His help is complete. He does not let their feet slip. He protects His people from all things which harm them. He protects them in the day and the night. He protects them like a house from the elements of the world. He protects them by their sides.
His protection is continuous day and night; it never stops. He watches over you protectively 24/7. God never sleeps. His protection is eternal; it lasts “both now and forever.” (Ps 121:8)
Take a few minutes right now to recognize God’s protection over you. He protects us from the elements of this world and, most importantly, from our sins. He has saved us for eternal life with Him. The things we have on our checklist today will not break through God’s protection of you. So, stop. Take a breath. And remember, God protects you all the time because He loves you.
WEDNESDAY
2 Corinthians 12:9
A buzzword in the personal care world is ‘limits.’ You hear phrases like ‘know your limits’ and ‘everyone has limits.’ The idea this buzzword is trying to convey is that people should not work themselves to death and recognize that everyone only has so much energy, resources, ability, and capabilities. We all have an end to what we can do.
Another way to say this is that we all have weaknesses. We are all human and frail. If you think about our weaknesses, the first one that comes to mind is our inability to change someone’s heart. No one is strong enough to change a person’s heart. We can talk with them, give great arguments, create welcoming environments, or provide beautiful services, but we cannot change a person’s heart.
Paul speaks to this in 2 Corinthians 12. Here, he writes about his ‘thorn in the flesh,’ which was given to him so that he may not boast or exalt himself. He cries out to God three times to remove the thorn tormenting him. Yet, God doesn’t remove it. Instead, God answers with those famous words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).
Our limits and weaknesses are places where God’s grace manifests in our lives and His power is perfected. The idea of perfection is full or complete, meaning that in our weakness, God’s power can completely or fully pour through us. This doesn’t happen in our strengths but in our weaknesses, in our limits.
Take time now to recognize your limits and weaknesses. Admit you are too weak to change anyone’s heart. Ask God to let his grace and power manifest in your weaknesses. God’s grace and power are the way hearts are changed. Ask God to use you in your limits and weakness to turn people’s hearts to Christ this Christmas.
THURSDAY
“Salvation belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people.” (Psalm 3:8)
Salvation belongs to the Lord. It belongs to our God. Peter declared it clearly: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Do you truly believe this? Do you believe that salvation belongs to God alone? Christmas is a fitting time to reflect on whether our lives align with this truth.
Most of us would quickly answer, “Yes, of course!” We believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. Yet, let’s pause for a moment and examine ourselves. Paul issued a sobering warning to the Galatians: “Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Earlier in Galatians 1:6, he expressed his astonishment, writing, “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.”
The Galatian believers had fallen into the trap of legalism, relying on their own works to “accomplish” their salvation instead of trusting in Christ alone.
Christmas can lead us into a similar trap. The season’s busy pace and endless to-do lists tempt us to rely on our own efforts to “make it all happen.” I know I’m susceptible to this. When our focus shifts to what we must get done, we take our eyes off Jesus. This often reveals a subtle pride in our hearts—we start depending on ourselves, even for things like spiritual growth or change.
But we know the truth: spiritual change comes only from God. “Salvation belongs to the Lord.”
So, take a moment to pause. Remind yourself that your tasks and efforts don’t transform people—Christ does. As you return to your to-do list, approach it with the grace of Jesus, trusting confidently that He will carry you through.
This Christmas, let’s keep our eyes fixed on Him, knowing He alone is the source of salvation and transformation.
FRIDAY
Psalm 33:18
“But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him—those who depend on his faithful love to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine.”
Psalm 103 reminds us: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him,” and, “as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”
God’s love and compassion are directed toward “those who fear Him.” But what does it really mean to fear God?
This was a question my 10-year-old son, Sam, struggled with one day when we read this Psalm together. He asked, “How can God be a God of love, but we’re supposed to fear Him? How do love and fear go together?” You can imagine how confusing this seemed to him.
Psalm 33:18 gives us insight into the answer. It shows that those who fear God are the ones who depend on Him and hope in His faithful love.
To depend on something means we rely on it to meet our needs. For example, we depend on medicine to cure illnesses, trees to produce oxygen, animals to provide food, and friends or family for care and support. When we depend on something, we place our emotional, mental, social, and physical weight on it, trusting it to do what we need.
The Hebrew word used in this Psalm can also be translated as hope. Hope is more than wishful thinking; it is confident expectation and trust. To fear God, then, means to depend on Him and place our hope in Him, fully expecting that He will take care of us.
We rely on God for the deepest desires of our hearts:
1. To be loved.
2. To be rescued from death.
3. To have life.
Nothing else can meet these needs the way God can. To fear Him means to depend on Him completely for love, salvation, and life itself. It means placing all our emotional, mental, social, and physical weight on Him—not on our own strength, possessions, status, or other people.
To fear God is to trust in Christ alone.
Take a moment now. Breathe deeply and remind yourself that God is the one you depend on and hope in. Pray, giving your heart, mind, and soul to Him again. Confess the times you’ve depended on other things for what only He can provide. Then rest in the fear of the Lord—the fear of the One who loves you endlessly.