Good morning!
Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father still our souls and cause us to seek Him in prayer, that He would show us how we are speaking to each other. Father, show us our habits in what we say to each other, and what we have regretfully left unsaid. For your priceless glory and our resulting good, may we give each other the gift of gracious, kind, mindful words. Let's say it plain this Christmas, Father. Help us to say nice things to each other out of love! In the name of Jesus, the greatest gift, help us to be so filled with the Spirit that we would give each other the gift of gracious words. Amen.
Your Morning Song: "Angels We Have Heard on High" by Reawaken Hymns
Your Morning Scripture: Proverbs 16:24
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones
...
What gifts are we giving this Christmas? Just to speak plainly, it's mostly just stuff. And, while I do think that Christmas has become way too materialistic, I also think that buying and giving each other stuff isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, if we're not careful, that is the only kind of gift we give. Just stuff.
Are there any other sorts of gifts? The most obvious one for God's Children, and one worth eternally discussing, is the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We ought to be sharing Jesus with our friends and family, at all times, but especially during this season.
But today I'd like to share a lesser, yet still good and Godly gift we can give.
What about a kind and gracious word? To speak kindly, graciously, mindfully to others is so good that here the Bible says it affects both the inner person, the soul, and the body as well. Wow! And how much did it cost? Often just a few moments of our time, and a little mental energy to focus on who we're talking to. And that's it. And the result is that the person we give this gift feels the sweetness in their soul and healing in their very bones?
Wow. What a gift!
When was the last time you gave it to someone? I think it is because what it costs us is so little that we forget to give this gift so often and so easily. The day gets hard, the schedule piles up, and we'd rather just get through to the next thing. And then there she is, my beautiful daughter, Emery Anne, who has a story that I don't feel like listening (again). But I do. And then I thank her and tell her that I like who she is. And then she smiles a smile that shames my selfish heart and heals it all at once, God watching the both of us all the while.
My life is filled with a thousand opportunities to give the gift of gracious words. And this Christmas season I've been trying to take as many of these opportunities as I can. And I have yet to regret doing so.
And if we are not giving this lesser gift of our gracious words, no one will listen to us when we share the greater gift of the Gospel.
Give both gifts today!
