The Nutcracker – Four Realms / Four RemindersSample

DAY 2 - Remember to Look Closer

Not long into The Nutcracker, Clara receives a Christmas gift left for her by her recently-deceased mother – a wonderful silver egg with a keyhole. There’s no key to be found, but there is a mysterious note, “Everything you need is inside.” Clara spends much time and effort trying to unlock the secret inside.

In Luke, not long after hearing the mysterious and wonderful news of her pregnancy from the angel, Mary took a trip to visit her relative, Elizabeth, who was also supernaturally pregnant. When Mary arrived, she called to Elizabeth, who knew nothing of Mary’s otherworldly news. Luke then shares with us some extraordinary details, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

One of the most underutilized gifts of most Believers is the Holy Spirit. Did you know that God is inside you now, encouraging you, guiding you, assuring you and helping you? In Acts 2, Peter states clearly that, when you become a committed follower of Jesus, “then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And Paul says in Romans 8 that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us! It’s the same power that caused Mary to have a virgin birth, the same power that gave a barren Elizabeth a child, and it’s the same power that lives in you!

Maybe like Clara’s gift, everything you need is inside. This Christmas, allow the Holy Spirit to be a regular part of your day. When you give your life to God, everything you need is already inside you.