This past month have attended two church Christmas plays, enjoyed a lovely Christmas cantata, partaken of two Ladies’ Advent luncheons and, of course, went to church on Christmas morning. What a beautiful celebration of our King’s birth we can enjoy in our many local churches.
Christmas is our special time to remember the sacrifice of Jesus coming to earth to live among us. What a privilege we have been given – God living with us – Immanuel. We can walk where Jesus walked, we can read the words He spoke, and we can pray the prayer He taught us. We are mightily blessed by our Lord.
Now that we are bathing in the warmth and light of the celebration of the Christ Child’s coming, angels singing to the shepherds, and Magi appearing, are we ready for the rest of the story? We can read about the remainder of the life of Jesus on earth in our Bible as we prepare for the next seasonal remembrance – Easter.
As we are reading God’s word, we can also listen for what God has in store for us this year. We should seek His will for our lives so that we will be clear about our job title for 2023.
I sometimes feel very vague about the next spiritual work God has for me and if I don’t have clear direction I tend to sit still and wait. I love the verse that says, “Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!” Psalm 27:14.
While waiting for God to speak I don’t sit idly by watching the clock because I need to know God’s voice so that when He does speak, I will know it is Him. If I’m not reading God’s words every day and knowing His mind and His will as presented to others in the scriptures, I will not recognize His voice when He calls for me to be front and center to receive my marching orders.
I try to be ready for God to work in me and through me. I am so grateful when God uses me as His servant to touch other’s lives. It may be because my deafness has left me feeling very isolated that I so enjoy the company of others one on one now. I have noticed that all of us seem to have become more isolated since the pandemic and less likely to share our needs with one another. I was thrilled the other day when I was allowed to comfort a soul in desperate need of comfort and caring. God blessed me as much as He did my friend.
If I am ready to always listen to those that express frustration, sadness, or tales of sickness, then I then can take those needs to God. If God gives me words of comfort to share, I try to express them with His love. I can think of nothing more exciting with what time I have left than to take the love of Jesus and pass it on to all who need it. And don’t we all need it!
As we move into 2023 and make our New Year’s resolutions, we can ask ourselves how well we know the God that we follow. Better yet, how well are we following the God we claim we love and obey? Those answers might spur us on toward more study of His word.
When we were in school, we took classes all day for years to understand and know subjects well enough to make them useful in our lives. None of us picked up the multiplication table on our first introduction to it. We need to study to learn a subject well. Our faith is no different. The Apostle Paul told Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
We can learn some of God’s will by being in church for an hour a week but that is not enough. Attending a Bible teaching Sunday School class and possibly a small group Bible study will get us on the track of truly knowing what we say we believe. Even with all of that, we must
be reading God’s word every day and asking Him to reveal to us through the Holy Spirit things that otherwise we might not understand. The more we are in study mode, the more we will learn and understand. The one subject we should all seek to excel in during our lifetime is knowing our God and His will for our lives.
As we move into 2023, may God grant us good Bible teachers, time, patience, and the understanding of His words and actions in this world. We should reflect Him in our lives in all that we do so that others may see God through us. ED. NOTE: Amy Patsch writes from Ocean City. 
Email her at writerGoodGod@gmail.com