Daily Devotionals
2021
Wednesday, December 8
Roselle Heckendorn
Christmas is a time to celebrate God’s love, yet often our love for Him can get buried by the demands of the season. Church activities ramp up and many of us are involved in making them happen. The people of Ephesus were busy, hard-working people; they persevered through hardship and discouragement; they did many good deeds. Yet the Lord says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4) I wonder does He say the same of us? Have we become so busy serving God that our love for him has cooled? If so, Revelation 2:1-7 and Psalm 32 give us two things we can do.
When two people fall in love, they want to spend time alone together. But often, under the pressure of work and caring for children and other demands, that love can get buried—unless they find ways to rekindle it by going on dates and doing things they enjoy together. In the same way, we need to carve out time just to be with Jesus and enjoy his presence. This year, my husband David and I discovered the blessing of practicing Sabbath. At first, we struggled to take a whole day away from our laptops. Now, we look forward to relaxed time to meditate on Scripture together and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. It renews our love for each other and for Him.
“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5) In Psalm 32, the psalmist does just this. He recalls how blessed it is to know he is forgiven. Then he recognizes that he is feeling weak and burdened by guilt. He confesses his sin and receives God’s forgiveness: in doing so his love and joy in the Lord is renewed.
Roselle lives at the Van Baay House in Cambridge. She is British, but has now lived in the US for 25 years. She is passionate about helping people come to know Jesus, windsurfing and board games.