This last week of Advent I’ve been encouraging you to think about the things you should Open Before Christmas. I got the idea from some devotions I read almost thirty years ago. So far I have encouraged you to Open your Ears, your Eyes, and your Bible. Today I want you to think about how you should Open Your Hearts.
Advertisers try to convince you that to open your heart you have to buy just the right diamond or car or phone or the latest gadget and give it to your loved ones. While giving gifts is a way to open your heart, you should not be fooled into believing that simply spending a lot of money on someone or something means you have opened your heart the way God wants.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love
Christmas is to be a time of giving, but part of the message of Advent is for you to receive. Open your heart to receive what God gives. At the heart of the Gospel we find the open heart of a generous God who so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. We need to give to others with the same kind of open heart. Share the kind of love God has shown you.
In the midst of all the excitement of this season, part of opening your heart is taking some time for silence and solitude. We are reminded that Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. In Advent, open your heart for a time of pondering. And as you ponder on past memories, present blessings, ongoing conflicts, busy schedules, future hopes, let all these things overflow in prayer to the one who is in control of everything. Take it to the Lord in prayer.
With an open heart, Advent can be a time for healing, forgiving, and reconciling. That is not easy to do, especially if you think others don’t deserve your forgiveness. God knows all about that. Peace on earth came because God sent His Son to earth as an act of good will to people undeserving of the peace He came to bring. But God opened His heart and let His love overflow to you. In Advent, open Your heart so that God’s love flows into you, and let His love flow through you to others.
