Dec. 21st - Green - Psalm 23:2
"He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters."
Green...it's all around us!
God has woven it into the very fabric of the earth. It points us to life,
to refreshing, to new beginnings.
Winter…a time when the earth seems
to take a break and rest. Although these times may appear dreary and confine
us, even these times are needed for the new growth coming in Spring again.
The winters of our life can seem
dreary and even hopeless, but there is new growth taking place even when we
can't see it. God is at work!
"For
I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will
perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
God knew not only the earth needs
intervals of rest, but we as His children also need times of rest. He
even set the example in the beginning.
"Thus
the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the
seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day
He rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done."
Genesis
2:1-3 NIV
Our verse today reminds us of this
important truth - "He makes
me lie down in green pastures..."
How are you handling this Christmas
season...the rush, the busyness, the weariness? Take time to allow Him to help you
stop and enjoy His presence, be renewed.
If you're
anything like me, when I am tired...I get grumpy! I am not at my
best. I do not reflect Christ's joy, light, peace, life or anything
good. And usually those closest to me get the brunt of my "winter
chill".
As you look
around and see "green". Let it remind you, nudge you...to take
time to lie down in His green pasture of life and renewal. You may be
thinking you can't afford to, but in reality we can't afford not to! When our
four kids were young and I would hit "a wall" of exhaustion, my
husband would encourage me to lie down and rest a few minutes...if not for
myself, then for everyone else! Haha!
It doesn't
have to be long...just a few minutes remembering His many gifts of
blessing, remembering He's in control, remembering abundant life is when
we abide in Jesus not in our own strength.
And if you
are struggling in life feeling that deep loneliness or depression of an
emotional winter, know that God is near; He is at work. I love the verse
below because it doesn't mean "to know about God", but "to know
Him intimately."
"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10
My prayer for this Christmas
devotion is that we each experience the new life of Jesus Christ budding out in
our lives...even during winter because we have found rest in Him.
"Come
to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew
11:28
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