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Now to the Lord sing praises,
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen verse 4
all you within this place,
and in true love and fellowship
each other now embrace;
this holy tide of Christmas
is filled with heav’nly grace.
Pause. Prayerfully and slowly reread those verse lyrics one more time. When I read this for the first time, I needed to read the lyrics again because of the depths of what is being sung here. Taking the time to break this down, we see this beautiful call to love God and love others. I love this!
Christmas brings us many opportunities to love God and love others. However, it can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Our to-do lists seem to get bigger every year. We are pulled in a million directions, school functions, shopping, baking, family get-togethers, church gatherings… it can be quite overwhelming and honestly lacking peace. Ironically enough during the Christmas season, a season meant to love God and love others as we celebrate love coming down to earth in the form of a baby, it can actually be quite hard to love God and love others well.
I often remind myself that it’s ok to say no. It’s in saying no that I can give my best yes. I practice the pause before I commit to something. I pray and ask God “is this something you are calling me to?” as I prayerfully make sure I have a margin for this. It’s in the honest surrender of our time to what God is calling us to that we can love God and love others most effectively and well. Operating from a healthy place, that is out of an overflow and is Holy Spirit-led.
Scripture References
Psalm 90:12, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 22:36-40
Action Step
Take an honest look at your schedule. Are you over-committed? Ask God to give you a heart of wisdom as you trust Him to direct your path.
Accompanying Playlist
All hymns referenced throughout the series found in one spot. Some versions are traditional. Others…not so much. Enjoy!
Living Simply With God 