Postures Of Advent: A Daily Christmas DevotionalExemplo

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

According to CanadaHelps, Canadians only give 1.5% of their income to charity and that number continues to drop every year. We are giving less money away than ever before. 

Mary, a young, unwed girl living in first-century Palestine, had little, if nothing, to her name. The fact that she would become pregnant through the Holy Spirit would have been unimaginable to some and scandalous to most. 

But it was through this young girl, who faithfully opened her hands and her heart to what God was calling her to do, that God planned to start his work of rescuing and restoring the whole world.

During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff at a local Compassion centre in Ethiopia set out to ensure that families in Compassion’s program had the supplies they needed to stay healthy through the pandemic. 

“Telling them the importance of hand-washing during this time is not enough if we don’t provide them with the necessary items,” shared Tsege, the centre director.

While the centre staff sought to look out for them, the families in Compassion’s program were looking out for their own neighbours, too. 

“What we received will not only save my family, but I will share it with my neighbours. During this time, if my neighbour is not careful, then my effort won’t save me. We protect each other. A single bar of soap will go a long way in protecting us all from the virus,” shared Tigist, a mother of a Compassion child.

This Advent season, as we think about where we are investing our money and our time, may we remember the devotion and faithfulness of the young Jewish girl named Mary. May we all find ways to open our hands and give even when we don’t have much like Tigist from Ethiopia.

May we give from the overflow of grace we have received in Jesus.

Pray:

Jesus, I confess that more often than not my treasure is found in the things of this world—things that are momentary and will pass away. I want to set my eyes on things above and invest in that which is eternal and for Your glory. Help me to surrender my desires to You. 

Give me a heart that desires to give out of the plenty You’ve given me. Give me eyes that seek out those who are in need and hands that freely give. May I not clutch onto what I’ve been given but give it back to You freely. Let me live out of a posture of generosity, knowing that as Your word says to whom much is given, much is required. May my heart and my treasure ever be found in You. 

Amen.