Come to Christmas

Prepare your heart for the holidays with this devotion by Heather Hart.

Bible Verse for Today

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14

Devotion for Today

Come to Christmas

As I shared yesterday, I grew up in the church, but I didn’t become a Christian until I was in high school. I remember that first Christmas when I was reading the Christmas story for myself, I was dumbfounded. The Little Drummer Boy had become my favorite Christmas song that Christmas, and he wasn’t in the Bible. I remember asking my mom where he was mentioned in case I had missed him, but sure enough, she verified that he wasn’t in there. I didn’t know what to make of that.

For years, I regarded the Little Drummer Boy with skepticism. He wasn’t biblical, yet I loved his heart for Jesus. It wasn’t until years later that I understood the Little Drummer Boy was a picture of all of us. The wise men came bearing expensive gifts fit for a king, but most of us can only offer ourselves… and that’s enough.

God created us for His glory. He made us in His image, and each of us displays a little piece of the God of the universe. We may not be rich, but God created us for a relationship with Him, and to glorify Him with our hearts. So, saying all we can bring is our love is like saying all a chair can do is sit there. That is what it’s for; that is what we are for.

God isn’t looking for people to be perfect, in fact, that is the whole reason for Christmas. Christmas is about a perfect God redeeming His imperfect children. It is about God saving us from ourselves—from our sinfulness. And all He wants from us is for us to love Him in return.

When we turn our hearts to Jesus, we are made more and more like Him. The love in our hearts transforms us to glorify God, because God is love.[1] God put His love on display when Jesus was born on Earth and died on the cross. But it is also perfectly pictured in the heart of the Little Drummer Boy.

Matthew 19:14 says, “Let the little children come to me…” The Little Drummer Boy is a picture of that. That’s all Jesus wants from us. Just to come.

It reminds me of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus. Martha was worried about the details, but Mary just sat at the feet of our Savior. Whether we are young or old, Jesus wants us all to sit at His feet and bring our hearts to Him.

That first Christmas so long ago, God sent a gift for all people. He came in the flesh to live among us and love us. He came so we could see His love fleshed out. That’s something all the gold in the world could never repay, but gifts aren’t supposed to be repaid. They are freely given and freely accepted; no strings attached.

And so it is with Jesus.

He came all those years ago to save us, and He is still coming today. He is coming to live in our hearts and fill us with His love. And one day, He will come riding on the clouds to make all things new; to perfect the world that all might see Him with unveiled faces, to see God’s glory on full display.

Jesus came all those years ago to save us, and He is still coming today. Share on X

[1] 1 John 4:8

---