Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

A Week after Christmas

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EVER WONDERED WHAT happened shortly after Jesus was born? That's an interesting question. We all feel that sense of uncertainty and even confusion after the crowds leave. When the house is still and quiet. The beautifully wrapped Christmas paper lies in piles, amid open boxes, stray ribbons, and bows. The once-hidden Christmas surprises sit silent and unattended under the tree now revealed.

What should we do after the celebration begins to subside? Now that all that effort to prepare has come to pass on Christmas morning, what should guide our thoughts? Where might we focus our attention?

Let's let the Scriptures guide us:

Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, "If a woman's first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the LORD." So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord.

LUKE 2:22–24

What a fitting response to the wonder of Christ's birth . . . offering ourselves in consecration to the Lord. Only a week beyond the night of His birth, the heavenly Gift, the baby Jesus, was offered as a gift back to the Lord. Mary and Joseph were committed to a life of obedience to the law of the Lord. I find that to be one of the most remarkable details in the entire Christmas narrative.

Have you consecrated yourself and your family to the Lord at any point this season? Have you consciously determined to honor the Lord and His Word in obedience? The day after Christmas, the next week following, and the remaining days of this lingering year, make a commitment to consecrate yourself to Him. Give Him your children, offer Him your home and your possessions, and present your new year, soon to dawn, to the One who came for you.