Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Nope, can’t pass up the opportunity to do one more devo on this beautiful song! Here are my Holy Spirit stirrings for today:
1) Christmas is all about His love. “Truly He taught us to love one another…” Jesus emptied Himself for us. He came to walk in our pain, to heal us, to rescue us from our darkness. He came to teach us the law of love by flawlessly modeling selflessness for us. What are some practical ways we can imitate Him this Advent season? To whom can we show some extra love to this month? Which individual faces come to What are some strategies we can use to teach our children that this season is not about getting?
2) Christmas is also about freedom. “In His name all oppression shall cease.” Consider the following words from Zechariah about Jesus’ birth – that eternity-altering moment that split history in two: “For He has visited and redeemed His people… to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear…” (Luke 1:68,74, NKJV). Did Jesus come to deliver Zechariah from his people’s physical enemies, the Romans? No. Jesus lived, died, resurrected, and returned to heaven, and the Romans kept on with their oppression of the Jews. Political liberation was not Jesus’ mission. Instead, He came to set Zechariah – and all of us – free from our spiritual oppressors.
“Chains shall He break” for us. Chains of fear, chains of selfishness, chains of greed, chains of resentment… all the varying kinds of chains that hold us back from living free on the inside. As His supernatural power collides with our chains, they fall off. He leads us into the glorious liberty that empowers us to love like He does, selflessly. This Christmas season, may He teach us to love our brothers and sisters in a way that flows out of the freedom He came to earth to grant us.
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Do you have any special Christmas traditions that involve reaching out to others? I’d love to hear about them! If they are made difficult by the pandemic, how can we adapt them to our current reality?
Feeding On Jesus 
I am cleaning out my closet of no longer used clothing and donating to places that provide for homeless people in the area
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That is a wonderful thing to do, Jeff. Those in need are so blessed, and I also know what a good feeling that sense of “purge” is for me when I get the chance to do so. Here in Peru there are so many people in need around us!
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SURPRISE small wrapped gifts to total strangers. ( Not however in past couple of years. ) butterflies symbols of eternal Hope Can be left on tables and on restaurant or McD TAbles.
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I love those two ideas, Faye! Thank you!
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Father God,
Break any chains that are preventing me from serving you fully.
Amen
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Thank You Jesus for Your faithfulness to take us ever deeper into Your glorious freedom! And thank You for my beautiful sister Barb that You love with all your heart, and who spreads a whole lot of Your love and joy wherever she goes!
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😳
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Amen
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Blessings to you!
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I volunteered at a hospital singing to the patients with my guitar or harp. I always made a point of going there on Christmas and Easter to sing special songs for the patients who might be especially lonely not being able to be home.
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Aww that is SO beautiful, Annie! I can see it in my imagination, and how much it meant to every single person you ministered Jesus’ love to. How many years have you been playing those two instruments?
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I’ve been playing guitar since seventh grade … 50+ years …?! My husband gave me the harp for our anniversary one year, but I don’t remember exactly when. But it’s been at least 20 years.
https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2020/03/06/the-summer-of-the-harp-boundaries-part-2/
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I enjoyed reading this so, so much. Thank you SO much for sharing the link ❤ 🙂
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Our church along with another in the area collect gifts for children in need. Families buy the gifts for $2 each, and the money is then distributed again to the needs of a school where the gift shop is set up. Even with the pandemic, this venture continues as in past years. My wife and I bought gifts online, and they were shipped to our church. God is good, and His people follow His Word.
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Wow, what a neat, creative idea! That seems like such a good thing, that the families in need can contribute something too, so they don’t feel like they are just getting a handout. That kind of concept has been key for us here in Peru, in working with those in need. People always value things more when they put at least a little money into them, it seems. So awesome, thank you for sharing this!
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