Sienna's lack of timidity allows her to rise above her size to be a valuable and vital part of the pack, even though she is the smallest. Likewise, God's Spirit within us has the ability to empower each of us, no matter who we are or what our circumstances may be, to be a vital and valuable asset to His kingdom, by means of living transformed lives which emulate the Spirit of Christ.

The apostle Paul, when he wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, reminded him not to let people look down on him because he was young (1 Timothy 4:12), but "to fan into flame the gift of God… . For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6a,7 NIV)

The gift of God, of which Paul speaks, is the Holy Spirit, Who indwells every believer in Christ. He's the same Holy Spirit Who empowered Jesus' frightened disciples as they were in hiding, to overcome the spirit of timidity, to stand up with courage and confidence on the day of Pentecost, and to proclaim the truth about Christ's death and resurrection in such a way that about three thousand souls came to salvation that day.

Do you suffer from timidity? Is a lack of courage and confidence something you struggle with in your life? I know it has often been a struggle for me. By fanning into flame the gift of God's Spirit within me, however, by means of prayer, praise, and claiming the truth of God's promises by faith, my struggles have been and are being turned into victory. This does not mean that my fear was or is automatically squelched, for it wasn't, and some days it still isn't. Rather, it means that God's power within enabled and continues to enable me to rise above my timidity to be an overcomer in Christ, to have the confidence and courage to act amidst my fears, one day at a time.

Sienna, though the smallest of dogs, is not timid, and neither do we need to be, as we fan into flame the gift of God within us: the Holy Spirit Who is in the business of transforming timidity into confidence and courage.

Prayer: Lord God, remind us today to fan into flame the gift of Your Holy Spirit within, that we may live a life of courage and confidence for You. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

Sienna, my Yorkshire Terrier, had a lump which was growing. Thinking it was an infected sebaceous cyst, which are common in older dogs, I made an appointment with the veterinarian to have it checked.

At the clinic, they took Sienna into the examination room to ascertain just what they were dealing with. A short time later the technician appeared with Sienna and a sealed glass test tube. Inside the tube was a botfly larva a little over half-an-inch long. A botfly had planted an egg on Sienna, where she must have had a tiny nick in her skin. The egg hatched and burrowed further under her skin where it proceeded to grow, making Sienna very uncomfortable as it ate into her flesh and moved about. Left untreated, the larva would have continued to grow until it burst through her skin, a painful process which often results in infection or abscess.

This botfly episode reminded me of today's Scripture and the importance of guarding our hearts, only allowing what is good and right to dwell within, that which builds us up, for all else corrupts and infects our very way of life. The apostle Mark makes this clear when he pens in chapter 7:20-23 these telling words: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" (NIV)

We must thus take very seriously Solomon's words of wisdom to guard our hearts, for everything within it eventually flows out of it, godliness as well as ungodliness. How, though, do we guard our hearts? We guard them by paying attention to what we hear, watch, read, and think about. Our actions come from the way we think, and when we fill our minds with ungodly influences, we also begin to act in ungodly ways. Whereas when our hearts or minds are filled with the things of God, we act with godliness.

Therefore, as the apostle Paul has written in Philippians 4:8, let us guard our hearts today by filling them not with the ungodly actions, thoughts, and words of this world, but with "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things." (NIV)

In light of these words of truth, what we will allow to enter into our hearts today: godliness or ungodliness? The choice is ours; may we choose wisely.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, that we have the privilege of knowing and meditating upon Your Word, that our hearts might be filled with all good things, which in turn direct the pathways of our lives. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

My dogs and I walk ten times around our fenced half acre daily to get our exercise. Lately, I have noticed that I can see a faint outline of the path which we have trod over the past year. Our feet have begun to chart our route, and as we continue our habit, I expect that the pathway will become much more apparent as the ground beneath our walking feet is slowly worn deeper and deeper away.

This reminds me of the Lord's command to His people, in today's Scripture. He exhorts them to closely watch over themselves in regards to their spiritual walk. They are to be consistent and diligent in not letting themselves forget everything they have seen Him do. His faithfulness is never to slip from their hearts, not ever. The word "slip" is defined as losing one's balance unintentionally, for a short distance (Oxford Dictionary). If you have ever slipped, you know all too well just how quickly such a thing happens, and when you least expect it.

Likewise, slipping in regards to remembering all that God has taught and done for us can also happen quickly and unintentionally. Life catches us up with its busyness, illness drags us down, good times embrace us in their pleasure, laziness dictates that we can let spiritual habits slide, at least for a while, and before we know it, we are not really thinking of the Lord very often at all. He is still there, but in the shadows rather than at the forefront of our daily walk.

That's just how easily slipping happens, and when it occurs, if we are not quick to notice and regain our balance, the spiritual pathway which we are leaving for others to follow now, as well as after we are gone, can easily begin to fade into nothingness.

Thus, let us remember, as the Lord has said, to be careful and watch closely: to watch our hearts' attitudes, our minds' thoughts, and our spiritual habits of reading and knowing the Word, fellowshipping with other Christians, and raising our voice in praise and prayer. For as we watch closely, we shall not slip. We shall never forget all that He has done for us through His Word and deeds, so that the pathway we leave behind us daily, as well as after He has called us home, stands bright and clear, well defined, for others to see and follow.

Prayer: Father God, remind me to be careful and to closely watch over my spiritual walk with You, that others may see and follow the godly pathway that my life is treading. In Christ's name, I pray. Amen.

Matthew 2:1b-2 – Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." (NIV)

The grandkids raced to my house, all excited and yelling about the big tree that their dad had just purchased. I discovered that it was a ten-foot-tall, cone-shaped Christmas tree completely encircled by white LED lights with a brilliantly lit star decking the top. I was informed that it was going to be placed at the end of the driveway for the Christmas season.

Wow! I thought. What a sight that will be. We live in the country with no streetlights or close neighbours, and it's normally pitch black at night. That brightly shining star and tree will stand out like a beacon for anyone driving by, announcing that Christmas is celebrated here.

On that first Christmas, God, too, announced the good news of His Son's birth with light. His initial announcement came to shepherds as they watched their flocks just outside Bethlehem. Angels appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. In Revelation 21:23, we discover that the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, "does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light." It would be this same light, the glory of the Lord, which the shepherds witnessed as the angelic host proclaimed, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14 NIV)

God's second announcement also came in the form of light: the light of an unusual star which the Magi recognized as the star of the One born King of the Jews. "The star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." (Matthew 2:9b-10 NIV)

God's light on that first Christmas announced good news. It proclaimed the birth of the Saviour Who later claimed, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12b NIV)

This year, as we view the Christmas lights shining brightly in our homes and neighbourhoods announcing the season, let us each remember the true light that Christmas is meant to celebrate: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)

Prayer: Father God, announce afresh in our hearts this year the glory of the light of Christ, in Whom we discover and receive eternal life and light, setting us free from the power and darkness of sin. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

It was October, and Christmas catalogues had already begun to arrive. When we went to town, my granddaughters were thrilled to notice Christmas displays in the stores. They begged to wander the aisles that sported the latest Christmas wish gifts, as well as indoor and outdoor decorations. I, however, was feeling rather appalled to be bombarded so early in the year with the commercialism of Christmas. One thing had to be said, though: Marketers certainly are intentional when it comes to making plans to promote the season. They know how to plan ahead and then how to launch those plans to get people's attention.

As I considered this, I thought about God's intention when it came to Christmas. He was planning it even before the creation of the world. God is timeless. He knows all things. He knew that man would sin and need a Saviour to cleanse us of our sin and to restore us back into a right relationship with Him, our heavenly Father. God's intention for Christmas, the coming of Christ, was there from the beginning. We see the first foretaste of that intention in Genesis 3:15 when the Lord tells the evil serpent about Jesus: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (NIV)

In fact, there are a number of Old Testament prophecies that predict the birth of Christ, the Messiah. Isaiah 7:14 tells us that He would be born of a virgin. Jeremiah 23:5-6 predicts a righteous King out of the house of David, Who would save His people. Micah 5:2 states that He would be born in Bethlehem. Yes, God planned ahead; He had intention when it came to the first Christmas. Then He promoted the fact that Christmas, the salvation of the people, was coming, by getting the people's attention through the prophets.

As I considered these things, I was challenged by how intentional my Christmas plans are, or are they? How much attention do I really devote to the celebration of the birth of the Saviour, in comparison to the time that I spend buying, wrapping, sending, making, cooking, cleaning, decorating, and gathering? Where are the eyes of my heart focused? Are they on the Christ Child and what His coming meant for the whole world, including me, or have the intentional plans of commercialism diverted my focus?

God's plans for the first Christmas were intentional. I pray that mine, as well as yours, may be likewise.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for Christ, the greatest Christmas gift of all. May our plans to remember His birth this year be intent on making Him the focus of our celebrations. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

When a friend of mine was evacuated from his home and town due to wildfire, I asked him if he had taken all his important legal papers, identification, and medical files with him. He told me that he had not. He had simply left quickly. My friend did not have what has come to be known as a go bag.

A go bag is a bag that one keeps ready in case of an emergency evacuation notice, something which is happening frequently due to the shift in weather patterns that our world is experiencing. Fires, floods, landslides, hurricanes, tornadoes, and the like can come upon us with very little or sometimes no warning, and having a go bag ready and waiting can make a huge difference when it comes to dealing with long-term evacuations or the possible loss of home and property.

Similarly, the Scriptures remind us that the day of the Lord's return will also come upon us when we least expect it. When that day comes, there will no longer be time to prepare to meet our heavenly Father. The time will be past to ready our spiritual go bag — everyone on the earth will be evacuated to an eternity spent with or without God.

1 John 5:11b-12 – God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (NIV)

Jesus, the Son of God, offers us our spiritual go bag for free; it is known as salvation. Knowing Him as our personal Lord and Saviour and trusting Him for the forgiveness of our sins — which makes us holy and acceptable to God — assures us that our name is written in God's Book of Life. Not knowing Christ, however, condemns us to judgment and eternal torment in the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:10-15 NIV)

Each one of us is going to be evacuated from this earth, whether it is by death or through the return of Jesus. This is a fact, a given. The question is: are you ready? Is the Spirit of Jesus residing within your heart through your acceptance of the free gift of salvation, your go bag which He offers to all mankind? If not, why not?

Prayer: Lord God, may the eyes and hearts of the peoples of the world be opened to see their need of salvation in Christ, that their spiritual go bag will be packed up within their hearts on the day You call us to Yourself. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

My daughter's dog, Pepper, is an escape artist. If there is a way to get outside of the yard, she will discover it — something which she did recently. Twice in two days she escaped the fence. I was charged with the task of finding out just where her secret exit was located.

My granddaughters ran around our fenced half-acre searching diligently for any holes under the wire. They speculated about her leaping over the fence, but I told them just to walk around the inside of the fence and to watch Pepper as she, too, walked and ran around the perimeter. I told them that if they simply watched her, she, herself, would inadvertently reveal her secret to us.

Sure enough, it didn't take Pepper long to slow down at a certain point in the fence, to look quickly and intently at a specific spot, then to move along to catch up with us. As we circled the yard again, I stopped at the main gate, the place that Pepper had been slowing down and checking out. Two rectangular openings had been cut in the fencing that stretched across each side of the gate, so that a person could reach through either side to unhook the chains that fastened the gates closed. Those cut-out rectangles were just big enough for a dog of Pepper's size to squeeze through if she stood on her hind legs and pulled herself up through them. Mystery solved!

As I laughed about how clever she had been in discovering the way out, I was reminded of today's Scripture. Temptations are common to all of us. Depending upon our individual innate weaknesses, however, some are easier to turn from than others. It's those others, though, that can bring about much grief, even the downfall of our reputations, businesses, marriages, or health if we succumb to them.

Therefore, let us learn to be clever escape artists, much like Pepper, that we may not succumb to such temptations. Let us be diligent in seeking the way of escape from them, that God promises to faithfully provide, by humbling ourselves in prayer, admitting our weaknesses, and asking Him to strengthen us not only to want to resist the temptation, but also to give us eyes to see the way of escape, as well as the will to accept and make use of it and thereby to gain victory over any and all temptations this world may set before us.

Prayer: Father God, thank You that we can count on You to provide everything that we need to have victory over the temptations that this world lays before us. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.