Pictures With Santa

We took Reagan to Spartanburg to get her first pictures with Santa this week. It is about a 40 mile drive from our house to the mall, so we brought along a dress for her to change into once we got there. However, once we got there we realized that the dress had been left on our couch back home.

We knew going back home for the dress wasn’t an option, so we hit a few stores in the mall until we found something “Christmasy” for her to wear. That situation made me think of the illustration Jesus gave in Matthew 25 about the 10 young ladies waiting on the groom. Half of them were wise and brought oil for their lamps, and the other five were foolish and brought none. When the groom came calling at midnight, the five with no oil were not able to go in the dark. Jesus concluded by saying that we need to be ready since no one knows when Jesus will return.

Are you ready for the return of Jesus? In this illustration Jesus says that it is wise to live your life ready for His return, and it is foolish if you do not.

By the way, my daughter was terrified of Santa, and she just cried the whole time. Those tears also reminded me of the emotion that the five ladies must have felt, and the way all people who are left behind will feel. Be wise, and be ready today.

Matthew 25:13—“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of man will come.”

Knit Together

Shortly before our daughter Reagan was born a lady at our church knitted a blanket for her. While we were certainly grateful for every gift that was purchased for us, there is just something special about a handmade item. Looking at the detail, one can easily see that quite a bit of work went into that blanket.

The same is true for you and me. The psalmist of Psalm 139:13 wrote that the Lord knitted him together in his mother’s womb. Think about what that means: we are not the result of random chance, an accident, or even our parent’s planning; no, we were carefully woven together by God.

Just as Reagan’s blanket was not woven over night, but over a period of months, we also required months of forming. It is not that God needed all that time, but He chose to invest that much love and care into every child that has ever been conceived.

January is National Right to Life Month, so let us take time today to remember that all life is a precious gift from God that should be protected at all costs. If God carefully knitted us together, then we know He must love us tremendously.

Psalm 139:13 “For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb.” (NAS)