2 Weeks Until Christmas For The City - CFTC Devotional
The conclusion of the Thanksgiving Holiday marks the definite beginning of the Christmas Holiday season and it certainly marks our final countdown until Christmas for the City 2023, which will be held at the Benton Convention Center on Saturday, December 16th from 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm. While we may have concluded our Thanksgiving Holiday, I’m sure that most of us reading this devotional are still stuffed with leftovers! All of the side dishes, desserts, turkey and more. What more could we have asked for?
While our bodies are filled with natural food, may the life we live exhibit qualities that stem from our intake of spiritual food nurtured by the Word of God. For Matthew 4:4 says, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ We, as past and present volunteers at Christmas for the City, are getting prepared to connect with the entire city of Winston Salem. Let us exude the qualities of living a life filled with the proper spiritual diet to make this Christmas for the City meaningful for all who participate. Our DIET should consist of - Devotion, Intimate Connection, Engaging Conversations, and Trust.
DEVOTION: This part of our diet pertains to our devotion to Christ and what better way to be devoted than to daily pattern our lives after His directives? This means to daily intake the Word of God through Bible readings. Between now and Christmas for the City, let us each commit to our continuation of, or begin a daily regime of reading the Bible. Some may prefer reading a Proverb daily
(If so, read a Proverb that corresponds to the date of the month. For example, if it is November 29th, then read Proverbs 29). Others may want to read their Bible based on the Christmas season. For Children, this website contains a calendar based Bible Reading plan with just a few scriptures per day that your children can learn more about the Christmas story. For adults, this website has a great Bible Reading plan for the entire month of December. Finally, for those who would like to focus on the season of Advent - this website has a Bible Reading plan for you too. Let us be devoted to daily intake of the Word of God!
INTIMATE CONNECTION: Some say that the lifeblood of any relationship is communication. Where would we be without our access to Christ through the mode of prayer? We are allowed, permitted, welcomed to speak to our Savior at any hour of the day. Let us ACCESS our maker, and allow Him to return the favor by sharing His choicest words with you. Yes, the Lord will give us our daily bread (As stated in Matthew 6) yet, let us petition our God and watch him provide all of our needs.
ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS: While we deepen our faith and our connection with Christ, allow us to engage in meaningful conversations with our fellow mankind. We should ask more in-depth questions, wait for heartfelt responses, learn about the ups and downs of our fellow neighbors and share about our own personal experiences. Why? It’s great practice for when the doors open to the Benton Convention Center on December 16th! On this date, we will be more prepared to extend our handsto the community with care, concern,
and a compassionate ear that has been prepped through previous engaging conversations. Oh, and let’s try to make some of these conversations, face-to-face…not just Facebook!
TRUST: Choosing to trust is knowing the reliability of a thing/person based on their previous track record. During this season, our personal ailments, issues, disappointments may not reach their end, yet we must trust that the same God that helped us through our previous issues, will be with us EVEN IN THIS. Whatever your “THIS” may be, Trust GOD that he will grant you divine strength because your DIET is good and in-tact. May your healthy diet further enable you to endure and wait on your deliverance from any personal problem while we focus on serving the needs of others at this upcoming Christmas For The City. Trust that God sees your need and He will surely deliver you out of your situation.
Just like when we are about to plug in that Christmas tree, we trust the lights will turn on, we can trust that as we turn on our Christmas cheer with the proper DIET, we will have a remarkable and meaningful Christmas for the City 2023!
Written by:
Dr. Victoria Hanchell, CFTC Volunteer Pastor
