Treasured

When David decided to fight Goliath, he trusted God would rescue him.  God had protected him thus far, and David was confident that God would be with him in this battle.  Saul’s contribution was to load David with his royal accouterments.  Dressed in the finest tunic, coat of armor, and helmet, David appeared ready to defeat Goliath.  Have you ever felt like this season is a battle of external focus?  Dressed festively, houses perfectly decorated, and beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree, we are ready for Christmas.  What happens if we don’t look as royal as David, aren’t prepared, or haven’t done it all quite right?

We can take a lesson from David.  He took off all the cumbersome trappings.  “I come in the name of the Lord Almighty (1 Sam 17:48).”  He knew that his strength was in the Lord, nothing less and nothing more.  The same Living God is the One who created us, the Holy Spirit who abides in us, and the One who was born on Christmas Day.  It is He who gives us value and strength to fulfill His calling.  This Christmas, we can enjoy all of the fun external extras and recognize them as such.  What matters is internal, our God-given invariable value.  As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we claim John 3:16.  “For God so loved the world that He sent His Son.”  We can also claim that He loves us individually so much that He created us in His image to represent Him.  Instead of evaluating the external (performance or appearance) to define the internal, we live out of who God says we are.  We can live out of that value with confidence.  `We are His beloved treasures.  Let us bow down and worship Him this Christmas season!

Trina Murray