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Note: You can also find Matt's Weekly Devotional on our website.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2024

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” –– Isaiah 6:1-8


It is often when we recognize our lack that we discover our abundance. As the carols crank up, the temperatures see-saw, and the gifts are fretted over, wrapped, and set beneath the tree, among the themes revisited annually through the carols we treasure is the fear of not having anything adequate to present to the newborn King. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are products only wealth could provide, the kind of stuff displayed in 5th Avenue boutiques, but never on sale at Target. 


The little drummer boy frets –– I am a poor boy, too; I have no gift to bring; That’s fit to give a king … Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum… Similarly, In the Bleak Midwinter, a voice sings –– What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would give a lamb. If I were a wise man, I would do my part; Yet what I can, I give Him?


Sometimes, life feels like a Christmas party and you are the white elephant gift. Everybody is smarter, more talented, more poised, more connected, more popular, and more confident, thus leaving you more self-conscious, more isolated, more insecure, more ill-equipped, and more anxious. –– “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” … “What can I give Him, Poor as I am?” … “If I were a wise man, I would do my part; Yet what I can, I give Him?”


Amidst the dazzling lights of your peers, you feel like a dim bulb, unnoticed and inadequate. But guess what? Apparently, you are precisely who God treasures and calls. It’s always been that way. Folks like Moses, Rahab, Isaiah, and Mary Magdalene hadn’t shown up on anybody’s recruiting list. Yet, the Lord touched them and drew out of them gifts they never thought they possessed. Remember, God chose to arrive, not at a palace, but in a stable. 


“Shall I play for you … Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum …On my drum? … I played my best for him;” “Yet what I can, I give Him; Give my heart.” “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” God sees more in you than you can possibly imagine. So, may you also do your best for, and offer your heart to, the One who knows you are enough.

Grace and Peace,

Matt  


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