Believe: Christmas Devotions
Day 23: What must we do?
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28-29
As a parent of young children who believe in Santa pulling off a magical Christmas morning requires a lot of work. You have to secretly shop, figure out where to hide gifts, use different gift wrapping, stay up late so you don’t get caught, remember the stocking stuffers, eat the cookies and drink milk, sprinkle the reindeer food, have the cameras ready, wake up surprised and ready to make up a great story of how Santa got into your house with no chimney. It’s a lot of work but you don’t mind doing it because you love your children and you love seeing the excitement and joy on their faces as they open gifts. You do it because for one day it is acceptable as an adult to stay in your pajamas and play with toys. At the end of the day, you decide the hard work is worth it and will do it again next year. In fact, some of you love it so much you begin counting down to next Christmas before the day is even over.
You put in a lot of work to prove Santa is real to your children, but how much more should you consider believing in Jesus this Christmas for you and your family? God only asks us to believe in Jesus, his only Son, a real man who lived, died and was raised to life for you. He doesn’t require any work other than that! You can mistakenly believe that when you accept Jesus into your life you have to give up everything you love and enjoy. You can mistakenly believe that you have to give money and attend church all the time. Others may choose to do these things but it is not required. Jesus accepts you just the way you are, flaws and all. He accepts your mistakes, failures and addictions. There is nothing Jesus hasn’t seen or heard that would surprise him and he never turns anyone away. Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life worth believing in and if you choose to believe in him you will always have joy and fun that lasts well beyond Christmas and your lifetime. Believe in Jesus.
John 14:6
Wynter Kettlewell 