Friday 14th December

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 2:14–16

This series of devotionals I have tried to take points from the Nativity story at a time when our celebrations of Christmas and our saviour’s birth are at the forefront of our minds. And there are two main points that run through them. The first, you no doubt noticed, was the tendency, when asked to do something less easy than we would like and/or a bit inconvenient, to respond along the lines of “Sorry, I can’t do that”, or “I don’t do that”. Having only invited Jesus into my life under 3 years ago, I am still a novice, occasionally overwhelmed by His love, and frequently realising how little I know. I’m sometimes impatient when I think nothing is happening (and I’ve been told not to be!) and I’m learning not to look for the big glorious event or task, but be pleased with any small progress.

You may remember when I stood in church and gave my first testimony of offering my life to Jesus. My opening words, quite ad lib, were “I don’t do this!” And I don’t get involved in the church, in church “dramas”, in Alpha courses, writing draft Nativity dramas, and certainly not trying to write devotionals! OOPS! Looks like I do. He keeps asking or inviting me to do things that I don’t do and I find myself doing them. Bet I’m not the only one by a long way.

This leads to my second point (which you already know) that with the Lord nothing is impossible. Whilst inviting the Holy Spirit to come among us on the Alpha Awayday, I got the picture of a large mountain, whether it was my personal one or not I don’t know, but when I enquired what it meant I was told “It is climbable.”

Let us all go and climb our mountains. Don’t say you can’t or don’t because I just know that you can and do! Remember with the Lord nothing is ever impossible.

A very Happy Christmas and New Year to one and all.

Yours because His