  How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! -Psalm 119:103 How can you taste words? This verse is usually talked about as a metaphor. However, did you know when Jewish children are being taught to read the Torah at ages 4-5, the Rabbi drizzles honey on a wooden slate, gives them a stylus, and teaches them to read and write? When they have completed they get to lick the honey. This creates positive reinforcement for the children, and the words are actually sweet! What does your spiritual appetite look like? When we are learning scripture we most likely are not writing in honey and cleaning our pens by licking them. But, when you’re reading the Bible are you feeling full? It can be difficult to get the proper spiritual nutrition during this busy season, but do your best to start taking bigger bites and chew them slowly. Savor this season with the Holy Spirit and enjoy the sweetness of His blessings. Please enjoy this recipe favorite to tame any winter sickness! Hot Toddy 1 tablespoon Honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice 8-12 oz boiling water Optional ingredients to add to the hot water concoction: A cinnamon stick Whole cloves Written by: Abigail Elliott Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.
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  The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. - Proverbs 22:9 Joel talked a couple of weeks ago about the importance of giving (listen to that message here). He likened giving to exercise. Exercise is good for you (we all know that)- but it’s not something everyone does regularly. I would love to have a six-pack, but I’m not so eager to get up early to go to the gym. It costs something to get the benefits of exercise. Being generous results in blessings (proverbs 11:24-25), but it requires something first. The Bible promises that our generosity will be rewarded (psalm 41:1-3) but it also requires us to sacrifice before we see any of those blessings. Fortunately, generosity is something everyone can cultivate. Christmas is a time ripe for giving. Consider practicing generosity this season. How can we be more Generous? 1.Start with Gratitude I recently listened to a podcast on gratitude, featuring psychology professor Dr. Robert Emmons. Emmons highlights (among other things) that gratitude is largely dependent on humility- or recognizing that you can’t do everything.” Gratitude predicates an understanding that the good things you have came from others- namely God (James 1:17). Isn’t it so much easier to share cookies with a friend if a coworker made them for you? Focus on what God has done for you today. Consider reading the following verses to frame your blessings: Isaiah 41:10 Genesis 22:16-17 Psalm 23:1-4 2. Keep an external focus In our desire to be blessed, it’s very easy to be generous in a self serving way. Blessings are the fruit of generosity- but if we’re focused on the getting the blessing, chances are we’ll miss it. Jesus’ greatest commandment is to love God, and then to love others (Matthew 22:36-40). Focus on God first, then on others, and finally look to your own needs. Try reframing some things in your mind today with that hierarchy: God, Others, You. Practice thinking in that order and you’ll be amazed how you will be blessed. Read through Philippians 2:4, and let it shape your thoughts today. Make Your House Smell Amazing Create an inviting aroma in your home with a natural simmering pot. It has the advantage of smelling amazing, and can be reused over and over again. Written by: Mary Weinstein Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.- Zephaniah 1:7  One of my favorite Christmas carols is the old, haunting “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence,” which is referencing a passage from one of the other Minor Prophets. Like yeast in an actual pantry, silence is the sort of ingredient in the Christmas pantry that is as indispensable as it is unappreciated. No one ever bit into a warm and chewy piece of bread and remarked on the evident quality of the yeast that made it rise. But leave out the yeast or kill it with too much heat or not enough heat and the loaf is rendered all but inedible. We are sojourners in a culture that acts as though it’s terrified of silence. And we pick up our culture’s habits. Shed them. Turn off the music. Sit in the sort of silence that would make even God’s merest whisper plainly audible. And that silence will work like yeast to make the times of joyful celebration rise all the more. Force some blossoms in time for Christmas. It’s the sort of thing that costs you nothing and can really serve to brighten the dreary days of winter. Written by: Joel Tate Subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox.  Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.- Luke 2:25 I hate to wait for anything good. But everything good is made that much better by having been eagerly anticipated. If Christmas morning were to arrive unexpectedly in July one year, even if it came with all the gifts and food and music we cherish, wouldn’t you feel cheated out of the season of Advent? Wouldn’t you feel that the day had been diminished for lack of expectation? Stock your Christmas pantry this year with expectation and add it liberally to every dish. But make it a year round staple while you’re at it. God will go on delighting us with surprises, but where he’s made a promise let us look forward to its fulfilment with the same eager expectation that we see in Simeon. Make pomanders for an old fashioned holiday decoration! I love making pomanders and having them around, but I confess that I have a difficult time getting them to dry without rotting. If you figure it out, let me know. Written by: Joel Tate Please subscribe to receive each day's devotional in your inbox so that we can all make our way through this delightful season together! |
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