Prepare - Sarah Beadles
I LOVE this season! This time of year always feels so very special.
From the traditions, to the excuse to make yummy treats, to the fun church events.
I see this decor in my living room. I've been trying to finish it for a few days. Life is a little busy, but it's going to get done!
However, each little space must have a few things done first. I needed to remove my beloved fall decor, and then it was time to give each space an extra cleaning. I must dust each spot, sweep, or adjust things still in the area to make room for all the pretty Christmas things. I must prepare for it.
It seems much of this month is spent preparing. Preparing for Christmas day!
This got me thinking.
How much time do I take to spiritually prepare? Oh, not specifically for the day we celebrate our Saviour's birth. But how much time do I take to prepare my heart to read God's word... to go to church... to listening to Sunday school... to listening to a message from the Lord in the way of preaching... to go soul-winning? Preparing on purpose!
Prepare:
The act or operation of preparing or fitting for a particular purpose, use, service or condition; as the preparation of land for a crop of wheat.
The Bible has much to say about preparation.
Exodus 15:2
The LORD [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he [is] my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
Joshua 22:26
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
1 Samuel 7:3
And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, [then] put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
Isaiah 40:3
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God
What if I just decided to throw my Christmas decor out without taking time to make room for it? Without preparing. It would be so chaotic!
It's a silly picture, and something many of us have heard often, but its worth repeating. At least I needed it. Lol!
So maybe, if you haven't finished with your decor yet, as you place things in their special spot, that'll serve as a reminder to prepare your heart for the Lord.
"Prepare your hearts unto the LORD"