*Post updated October 2022
Merry Christmas!
“After coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary his Mother; and the fell to the ground and worshiped him.” Matthew 2:11
Celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Savior, is about the posture we take before Him and in front of the world. It’s an opportunity to examine ourselves to make sure that we are in total alignment with His will, assuming the correct posture in mind, body, and heart.
In this blog post, we are going to examine the posture of our bodies, minds, and hearts and realign them to our King Jesus.
The Posture of Your Body
Do you ever take the time to bow before your king? To be on your knees before him? Surrendering all and worshiping His majesty?
Or are you too caught up in the day-to-day rush of holiday happenings to pay attention to a lowly baby born in a manger?
There are several postures we tend to take when we neglect to slow down and focus on Christ.
Maybe your posture is that of a stubborn and defiant teen, arms folded across your chest with a look of disdain on your face. You refuse to take time to be still, to seek Him.
Maybe your posture is hunched, tired, and discouraged. You are in a season where you are overwhelmed by life and its constant demands. Or, maybe you just have your nose to the grindstone, working hard and focusing on the objectives at hand. You view moments of stillness as a loss of productivity.
Matthew 11:28 says, “come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”
He wants to be a help to you physically. When you are tired and don’t think you can go on, seek His strength. Ask Him to help you slow down, to give you rest, to lift your chin and raise your arms in worship.
Allow yourself to embrace a posture of grace rather than striving and seek stillness. Then, in silence, listen for His still, small voice.
The Posture of Your Mind
Sometimes the good things we receive can become our “god things.”
It could be anything- the number you want to see on a scale that becomes an obsession, a career that is consuming all of your time and thought life, a relationship that isn’t honoring to the Father because you are asking that person to be your everything.
Or maybe you live in anxiety and fear. You could be fearful over something specific or possibly over every unknown.
Our minds are frenzied by a myriad of things to do, boxes to check, items to collect, and even (and especially) our phones! We say we use them to “connect” with others, but mostly what they seem to do is distract us from real life and the real Life-Giver.
As believers, we are called to renew our minds.
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
We are told to have childlike faith. The gospel is simple but not easy. Let’s develop childlike anticipation of His return!
The Posture of Your Heart
A prideful heart is often fortified by walls and hardened over time. It’s fed with self-praise and self-reliance and gets stiffer every time some offense brushes up against you. It’s heavy, fearful, and often completely unaware of how difficult it is to deal with.
Maybe you have come to a point of hopelessness. You have lost faith and given up on seeing change. You have developed an unbelieving heart.
The posture of your heart is so incredibly important.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.”
Your heart should be a reflection of the fruit in your life, overflowing with love, gratitude, joy, and praise.
Here are some verses to encourage your heart into a posture of joy at the goodness of God:
“I give you a new commandment: love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:24-35
“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” James 1:17
“He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting” Job 8:21
What posture will you choose to assume during Christmastime?
A Purposeful Journey
Recognize now that you must be intentional to practice and maintain proper spine posture even now.
Just like the wise men who sought out their newborn king. It took a purposeful journey to get there and have open hearts and minds to be transformed by this amazing experience.
When they finally arrived and saw the gift from heaven face to face, they couldn’t stop themselves from falling to the ground in worship.
Let’s take some time to be on our knees before Jesus too. Let’s take on a posture of complete submission, honor, praise, and glory to this little baby, this King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Ronda Gilbert is an Air Force wife, mother of three, and Revelation Wellness fitness instructor/personal trainer in Fairfax, VA.
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4 Responses
Thanking our jesus
For you and the wOrds
✝️
Have a Merry Christmas, Becky!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful devotion. God bless you Ronda ❤️
You are a blessing. I praise God for bringing you on my path.
Love,
Neema
Thank you Neema! We are so glad this blessed you!