Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "Desiring Less"

Good morning WVBC,

I do hope your week is going well.

With only nine days until we get to celebrate our Lord's birthday, I thought I would remind you not to get sucked in at the last minute "buy" the way the world celebrates.

G.K. Chesterson once said, "There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less." How true this is!

The Bible reminds us of this very fact...

John the Baptist said it like this:

"He must increase, but I must decrease."
(John 3:30)

David said it like this:

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
(Psalm 27:4)

And Paul, like this:

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."
(1 Timothy 6:6-7)

So with Christmas almost here, where's your heart focused--on accumulating more or on desiring less?

Pastor Bob's Wednesday Devotion: "Keeping the Savior in Focus"

Good morning Church,

Listen to what God's messenger said to the shepherds two thousand years ago...

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people...a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2: 10-11 (NIV)

Whose birthday we will all be celebrating in 16 days? Sometimes during this time of year, we tend to lose focus. With all the shopping for gifts we can easily forget the greatest gift, given to us 2,000 years ago.

How can we stay focused on the reason for the season? Try these 3 simple steps in the next 16 days:

1. Each morning, make time to read your Christmas Daily Bread devotional.
2. Each evening, discuss and pray with your family about what each of you learned from the devotional.
3. During your family prayer time, pray for the families from whom you received Christmas cards that day.

In the next 16 days, I want to focus on the Savior who was born so long ago. He was and is "Christ the Lord."

Let's stay focused & joyful!! Amen!

Pastor Bob

Pastor Robbie's Wednesday Devotion: "CHRISTmas"

Good morning WVBC,

I hope your week is going well.

I had a chance to talk this week to a little girl, and I asked her if she knows why we celebrate Christmas. Her response was "no." How sad...to be four years old and think Christmas is just a reason to get presents. To not even know who Christ is!

How many of us don't see Christ in Christmas? Have we gotten that far from the truth?

We put up all of our pretty lights, but have we forgotten the real "LIGHT OF THE WORLD"?

We give gifts to nearly everyone we know, but have we missed the biggest gift of all?

I hope not!

There's only one way to keep Christ in Christmas, and that is to be like the angels who appeared to some shepherds that night long ago:

"...praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Hope to see you Saturday, reminding people why we celebrate Christmas.