Christmas

This post listed some practical tips to keep us sane during the busiest month of the year.  But one v.e.r.y. important “Sanity Saver” was left out of the list.  There is one thing can make or break you over the next several weeks, and it can make a difference in how you and your household enjoy this year’s Christmas and New Year season. 

The NUMBER ONE sanity saver for this season is… {drum roll, please…}

A Holiday Get Away with Jesus…in His Word… every. single. day. At the beginning of each day! 
In Matthew 1:21, when the Angel is telling Joseph that Mary will bear a Son, the Angel goes on to say, “And you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].”  (Mt. 1:21, Amp)

Did you notice this phrase, “The true end and scope of life, which is God”?  When it is all said and done, and our lives are at their end… what will it matter if the 2010 gifts weren’t perfectly wrapped?  What will it matter if the house wasn’t clean, and the Christmas cookies were a little burned? 

We put these wonderful expectations on ourselves, and they are good… It’s a busy and stressful time of year.  We want our homes to be just right… we want to bless others this holiday season.  As women, that’s how we roll… and it’s ok. 

However… (and I’m saying this with love) if doing these things are keeping us from missing the true end and scope of our lives, which is God, then our priorities are out of whack.  If your toes are starting to sting a little (and mine have been, too!), then there’s only one thing we can do to bring true relief to ourselves and our situations: Run away to and with Jesus!

If even for just a moment… find a quiet place (even in a workplace bathroom stall, or throw an apron over your head like John and Charles Wesley’s mom did) and call on the Name of Jesus.  Confess your out of line priorities, and ask Him to help you change.  Tell Him how much you need Him, then set yourself to seek Him first thing in the morning and through out the day.

If you have time to snooze, you have time to spend a moment with Jesus.  If you’ll set your alarm back just 10 minutes earlier, and get up when it goes off, you can start your day filled and refreshed – rather than tired and cranky.  I promise.  You can never out-give God.  You give Him those precious 10  minutes, and see just what He gives you in return… strength, encouragement, hope, a plan for your day, inspiration, peace… to name a few.

Here is a quick 10 minute Holiday Time Away with Jesus.
Have these items handy:

A Bible (easy to read & understand version – I LOVE the Amplified, Holeman Christain Standard, Message, and NIV)

Paper – I keep several sheets of notebook paper folded up in my Bible for these moments with God

A Pen or Pencil  (highlighter optional)

Here’s the plan:

1 minute – Submit yourself to the Lord.  Bow yourself to Him, acknowledging Him as your King and Authority over you.  Give yourself and your day to Him.  Ask Him to speak to you.

1 minute – Praise God for three of His Characteristics and Thank God for three ways He’s blessed you.  Quickly write the date and record these on your paper. 

1 minute – Ask God to create in you a clean heart (Ps. 51:10). As He reveals any unconfessed sin, repeant of it lay it before Him.  (Of course, this is more than a minute long process – it’s an every day, all day long process.  This minute just opens the door for the Lord to speak to you throughout the day about your sin. As He convicts you of sinning.  Repeant right then. Don’t wait until later.  Confess it. Ask for forgiveness immediately, and stay clean throughout the day.  It’s like washing your hands each time they get dirty, instead of waiting till the end of the day or the next morning.  There are times we all need a long, deep spiritual cleansing, and I encourage you to set aside a special time with The Lord to do that.)

2 minutes – Ask God to fill you, cover you with His armor, shine through you, and speak to you. 

“Fill me” – Colossians 2:10 says in the Jewish New Testament, “It is in union with Him that you have been made full.”  Especially when we are rushed and stressed, we tend to run on empty.  It is in union with Jesus – this time together with Him before anything else depletes us – that we are made and kept full.

“Cover me” – Using Ephesians 6:10-14, put on the armor God has provided for you to wear in Victory!  You might want to list the armor pieces at the top of your notebook paper so you can quickly go through and picture each piece.  I picture myself putting them on piece by peace, as I speak each piece aloud, thanking God for this awesome protection.

“Shine through me” – Pray that you will “Shine (be radient with the glory of the Lord), for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

“Speak to me” – Pray Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things in Your Law.” and get ready for God to reveal Himself to you through His Word.

(Now, you’re about 5 minutes into the 10.)

3 minutes – Read God’s Word.   Have a specific place in the Biblein mind, so you won’t waste your time randomly searching.  I’m going thorugh Psalms right now.  Other wonderful books are Proverbs, John, James, Philippians… they are all so wonderful, it’s hard to choose one.  But for this quick quiet time, I would encourage you to stick to one of the books mentioned above. 

Start at the beginning, and read for 3 minutes or until you have some type of “reaction” (Wow! or Oh, You are so Good, Lord! or I am so sorry! or I never thought of it like that before… or even, I don’t understand…)

1 minute – On your paper, under your praise/thanks, write the reference for what you just read, then write your reaction.  This makes Scripture come alive, because God has just spoken to you, revealing His Truth to you in some way, and in your reaction, you are responding to Him.  It’s like you are writing to each other.  This is so important, because as we get busy, we tend to forget the wonderful things The Lord revealed to us.  Having them written down, gives us a reminder of and a visible picture of God’s activity in our lives at the moment.  These types of papers are a treasure to me.

1 minute – Pray these truths into your life.  Ask God to help these truths be a reality in your own life.

As you begin your day, after the 10 minutes is up, continue to talk to Jesus about the day ahead, about your family, and pray that these same truths would be found in the lives of those you love and those heavy on your heart. 

No matter how busy the day ahead becomes, this 10  minutes with the Lord will help jump start the day with the breath of the Lord God Almighty propelling us forward, saving our sanity, and putting a smile on our faces.

By the end of this week, I’m hoping praying that our gifts will be mostly purchased/made, wrapped, and displayed in the currently empty space under our tree. (I’m so thankful for a pretty tree skirt, btw, – we’ve had plenty of time to enjoy it this year!) The Lord has provided the gifts we are giving this season in the most tender of ways, and I’m so much looking forward to sharing what The Lord has provided and we have prepared. 

For months, I’ve been “listening” around, trying to find out what the people in my home/family would most love to receive.  My gift lists have been made and are getting marked off by the day.  But there is one Name that didn’t make it on my list until a few days ago.  I was preparing my Sunday School lesson, studying about the Wise Men and what they brought to Jesus.  I’m sure we’ve all heard about the three gifts they brought and what they meant in Biblical times.  I’ve seen many wonderful gift-giving ideas based upon these three gifts.  In years past, we have given to others, to missions, to causes in Jesus’ Name for Christmas.  But the other day, when I was studying and praying through the Scriptures, The Lord gave me something new, precious, and challenging. 

As if I could audibly hear His voice, He asked me “Will you bring me these same gifts?”

Then The Lord revealed to me what He would most love to receive from me this year.  I have a feeling that He’d love this to be His birthday gifts from each one of us.  I wonder if He’ll speak to you in the same way~

“When they saw the star, they were thrilled with ecstatic joy.  And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshipped Him.  Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts – gold and frankincense and myrrh.”  Matthew 2:10-11 (Amp)

Gold – This was a standard gift to a king.  It represented  kingship and power. 
Frankincense – This was a special insense used for worship.
Myrrh – This was used to embalm bodies when people died.

(Neither frankinsense nor myrrh were typical gifts to give a baby – even a baby king.)

As I prayed through these gifts, asking how I could give these specific riches from my own “treasure bag”, The Lord gave me this answer: