DECEMBER 23, 2025 ~ FROM A PASTOR'S HEART

DECEMBER 23 DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 2:1-12

I have been around for 67 Christmases and out of all of them I remember one above all the rest. It was the Christmas of 1968. Mom had just delivered the fourth and last of her children, Tim. I was ten years old and Tim, like me, was born with the RH factor between his blood and Mom's. Tim's was much worse than mine, going through three complete transfusions. Even at that age I could tell that Dad and Mom were worried if Tim would make it. We were a family that didn't have much. Dad was always a hard worker, he was working on a ranch as foreman and the pay barely took care of our normal needs, much less with all the new medical issues. Christmas morning came around and we knew there wouldn't be much under the tree. Dad and Mom got us each a finger paint set that I know did not cost a dollar each, and one of our Aunts (I still don't know who for sure) got my older brother, Dean and me, a little match box car and my sister Terrye, a doll. No there was not much that Christmas, but that's the one I remember. Why? First, because God in His love brought us a little brother and He healed him. Second, because my Mom and Dad made sure that even with very little, we had Christmas and love. Finally, because a loving, caring aunt made sure we each had at least one special toy. That Christmas was filled with so much love...I can't forget it 57 years later.

What about this Christmas...what would the Lord want from us? I have made a list for myself and I would encourage you to do the same. He wants me to trust Him, to believe Him, to serve Him, to love Him. The Lord wants me to love others...to genuinely care about their precious souls, to share with them the love of Christ, to minister to them with a grateful heart. The Lord wants me to always remember the meaning of Christmas...you see just like that Christmas I remember 57 years ago filled with so much love, the Lord wants me to never forget that Christmas is when God showed the greatest of love in sending His Son.

Please share your thoughts.