‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Did you know Christmas in July is a real thing? According to Wikipedia, it is celebrated on July 25th. I made a goal this summer to invite my mom and mother-in-law over for meals once a week while our son is home from college and before our daughter becomes busy as a full-time RN with Tidelands Hospital. I started the summer by having my family over for my famous ravioli lasagna. 

This was a very special meal because our son’s girlfriend was able to join us. Time with family should be savored. God says that we should taste and see that He is good. One way we can do this is by making meaningful connections with our family and friends. I look forward to hosting a Christmas in July meal with my family. I challenge our readers to initiate meaningful connections with family and friends that will be savored for years to come. 

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‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

This week, I have been sharing Christmas in July. I love that around the Christmas season, Deborah, Ray, and I select our words for the year. I want to revisit my word for 2025: Humble. Although I feel I am a humble person, as I grow in our ministry and my service, I want to bring glory to God. James instructs that God will lift us. We don’t need to do the heavy lifting. We can choose to take up our cross and humbly come before God.

Like broken seashells crashing within the waves onto the shoreline, I will stumble. Through my brokenness, I want to be a blessing to others. Through my humility I desire to bring Glory to God. 

Did you select a word or mantra for the year? Deborah recently had us do a mid-year review. I pray we can all finish out the second half of the year strong. Let’s humbly walk with God and share His most precious gift.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for using me through my brokenness. I humbly come before You and ask that You use me to be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

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Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.

This week I have been sharing Christmas in July. The Hebrew word for vanity is “hevel,” which means “vapor or smoke.” The writer of Ecclesiastes is telling us that everything is temporary and gives some good wisdom on vanity and what is considered striving after wind. The writer also talks a lot about time. Everything we create and strive for will eventually die away but the mountains and oceans will still remain.

In both ragged schedules and time of rest, we depend on God to help get us from point A to point B. We must never forget to look to God first. The one who created the mountains can also move mountains. The one who moves mountains also wants to sit and rest with us. Nothing is too big or too small for our God.

Let’s not waste time striving for perfection but strive to live in the present. Jesus was born in a stable and the three wise men brought gifts that were not wrapped. How do you live a life in the midst of Hevel? In the Bible Project, Tim Mackie says: “accept that all of life is out of your control.”

Let’s pray. Dear God, I desire to sit and rest with You. Help me to live in the moment and not strive for perfection. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Bonus: In reading the Bible Recap, with every chapter comes an animated drawing. I encourage you to watch the Bible Project on Ecclesiastes. 

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1Peter 4:10 NIV — As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

This week, I have been sharing Christmas in July. My word for 2020: Gifts. I believed it to take on different meanings with different scriptures throughout the year. 

I want you to imagine a beautiful box with a special gift inside. Now I want you to imagine God presenting this beautiful box as His special gift to you. Can you feel the anticipation begin to arise? Before you open the box, I want you to imagine how this gift was handpicked, specifically for you. Now I want you to think about your reaction. Keep in mind, God already knows how you will respond to this special gift. Do you think you will have a receiving heart or a rejecting heart?

I want you to recall your favorite gift you received as a child. You were probably overjoyed with excitement and could not wait to use it. Now I want you to think about a gift you received as a child that was not what you wanted. You were probably ungrateful with a crushed spirit and could not wait to see if you could exchange it. Again, God knows what we will do with our special gifts. Do you think you will nurture that gift, or will you forsake it? 

Jesus was not the traditional gift that you unwrap and celebrate. His gift did not come wrapped in ribbon and bows but rather swaddling clothes. Our gifts may come disguised just like baby Jesus. It may take years of beautifully wrapped gifts for us to identify them. Over the years our gifts may change, or it may be that we change. God sees our potential through our gifts before the seeds are ever planted in our hearts. Will you make room in your heart for those planted seeds to grow or will we starve them? Our gift back to Jesus is what we do with our planted seeds.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the gifts You have given me. Equip me to do Your good and pleasing works. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

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1 Kings‬ ‭8‬:‭27‬, 29 ‭NIV‬‬ — But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! ‭‭May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.

‭‭We can’t put God in a box. Today’s reading is a beautiful reminder of that. As King Solomon fulfilled the promise to David, he built a Temple for the Lord. He realized that God is much bigger. We know that God does not dwell inside the temple because the writer says: “May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day.”

This week, I have been sharing Christmas in July. How can we repeatedly put God in a box when He chose someone like Mary to bring Jesus, our Savior, into the world? Thankfully we see miracles and have God’s word to show God is higher than the heavens.

Have you recently put God in a box? I encourage you to listen to Mary Did You Know? by Pentatonix.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for Your word and the miracles You perform. Open my eyes to see Your Glory. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

@biblegateway @youversion

This week, I will be sharing about Christmas in July. Take time today to meditate on this week’s scripture verses.

1 Kings‬ ‭8‬:‭27‬, 29 ‭NIV‬‬ — But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! ‭‭May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.

1 Peter 4:10 NIV — As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.

‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

@biblegateway @youversion

This week, I will be sharing about Christmas in July. My word for 2018 was “Rejoice.” 

Rejoice. A reminder to carry the Christmas spirit 365 days a year. What better way to do this but to meditate on:

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Let’s worship with some fun Christmas songs:

I’ve Heard About You by Crowder.

Mele Kalikimaka by Jimmy Buffett

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