Theme:  It Would Take a Miracle . . . To Experience Real Peace

Weekend Music links on iTunes: All to You - Lincoln Brewster, Angels We Have Heard on High, None But Jesus - Hillsong, O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Read:  Luke 15

Think:  God calls us to Him.  The parable of the Lost Sheep talks of the Shepherd rounding up the sheep.  As a parent, I relate to this a bit.   There is a greater sense of security and all is well in my world when the kids are home for the night.  I definitely sleep better. 

Many close-knit families enthusiastically await gathering together over the holidays for special times and traditions.  Some people have the best of times when they are all together again.  And some gather out of a sense of obligation but they are racked with pain when they are in the presence of the source of their pain, abuse or personal dysfunction.    My friend’s hairdresser went to a hotel for Thanksgiving to just get away and clear her head.  She said people at the hotel felt so sorry for her and wanted to have her to their place….but the hairdresser just wanted to enjoy a time alone and she insisted she was just fine.  

Whether we are hanging out in the fold with the other happy sheep, or showing up and putting on a happy face with severe internal distress……, or even staying far out of the celebratory arena and trying to come up with a viable alternative, God is calling us to Him.  God will go after the lost sheep until He finds it.     I have a sense that HE is more secure when we are where we belong.    If you don’t know where you belong, seek the Lord.  Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”   

Do:  If you are gathering with family and looking forward to it, sing Hallelujah!  If you are gathering with family and dreading it, praise God!  Ask Him to help you get through it…not just by the skin of your teeth but with JOY.  If you are looking for the nearest exit and want to develop a new tradition, remember that Jesus will never leave you, nor forsake you.  Ask Him for an opportunity to glorify Him in a new way and watch Him intervene with a miracle.

Pray:  Lord, I know you love me.  I need to RECEIVE and feel the love you have for me.  Your ways are better than my ways.  Help me adjust my attitude.  Help me to forgive those who have hurt me.  I trust you to make it better by Your grace. Amen

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

4505 236th Ave. NE • Redmond, WA 98053 • 425-869-4400 • info@timberlakechurch.com