PREPARE... Sunday

Devotional for 12/8/13

Some people dread this time of year.  For some it is because of difficulties being around family gatherings for various reasons.  Others can't stand the commercialism that has come to symbolize the coming holiday and how early it all begins.  For many there is so much preparation to do that they cannot stop to enjoy the season.  They are too busy getting Christmas cards, writing a Christmas newsletter to enclose, making party plans, decorating a tree, buying gifts and mailing packages, cooking special meals and baking special cookies, cleaning up the house for entertaining guests, etc.  How is a person to enjoy such a stressful time?

In the midst of the flurry of activities it is important to remember to slow down and prepare.  That preparation is not the external things mentioned above.  It is an internal preparation.  We prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord.  We celebrate his first coming to earth as a babe in Bethlehem, but we also anticipate his second coming in the future.  And how does one prepare the heart?  By cleaning the slate, that is, determining where we have done wrong, asking for forgiveness, and turning from our former ways.  We can only do this with God's help.  He is the one who forgives and gives the power to change lives.  John the Baptist called for this repentance, as foretold many years before by the prophet Isaiah:   

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”   This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”  

Matthew 3:1-3 (NIV)

May we all "prepare the way for the Lord" and be ready for him to come into our hearts and lives with joy and thankfulness amidst the hustle and bustle of this time of year.

written by Jan Andersen