Hi friends! I can’t believe we only have one more month in the year and one more monthly focus, book, and challenge! This year has flown by! I’m excited for our December focus and I hope you will be too!
December Focus: Love
This month we are focusing on love. We hear about love a lot. Especially around Christmas there seems to be love everywhere – Hallmark movies, Christmas cards we send, the songs played in the mall, and yet I think love is the most misused word around. As Christians we get told that we’re not being loving if we disagree with someone else’s lifestyle or if we question a mandate or political decision. We are told we know nothing about love and aren’t we supposed to be the ones who “love thy neighbor”? Yet what we can know for certain is that God is love. It’s not just something He does, it’s who He is. We know in His word He tells us exactly what love is. This month, as we are focusing on Christmas, let’s dive into what the Bible says about love. Because when God sent Jesus He sent love and if we want to know God we must know love.
December Challenge: Be aware of how you show love.
December Book Choice: “Love Came Down at Christmas” by Sinclair Ferguson
December Bonus: Printable of 1 Corinthians 13:13. Click HERE for the free printable.
December Challenge:
As you interact with people this month, be aware of your actions. Are your actions conveying love? As you speak to your family or to the cashiers in the store, are your words conveying love or impatience? It was God putting action to His love for us that sent Jesus to Earth for us. In the hustle and bustle of the season let’s not allow the chaos to take away from showing love.
December Book Club:
Our book this month is a little different in that it’s technically an advent devotional. It’s called “Love Came Down at Christmas” by Sinclair B. Ferguson. There are twenty four readings with reflection questions and a prayer. Each reading focuses on 1 Corinthians 13 – the famous love chapter. Ferguson walks us through it, line by line, as he shows how Jesus is love. We can look to Him to know how to walk in love. I hope in reading this book our eyes and hearts are open to the great love God has for us and His plan for His people to live out that love. I pray our hearts are refreshed as we focus on our God who loves us so much that He sent His only son that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life (John 3:16). What an amazing love! What a legacy of love we are a part of!
TO DO:
*Purchase your copy of “Love Came Down at Christmas” and begin reading.
*The book is set up in daily readings but don’t get discouraged if you miss a day (or a couple of days!). This is a totally no pressure place! Read as you’re able and then join us on the blog Friday, December 30th for the discussion questions.
*You can always post comments, quotes from the book, pictures of yourself reading, etc on our Facebook group “On the Same Page.”
Hope you’ll join in!