“To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).
Today is the birthday of one of my best friends, Margaret Johnson Judkins. Margaret and I met in 1978 when my family moved to Hendersonville. I had already moved around a lot in my 14 years, so I felt rather numb to it all. But Margaret and her family embraced me with a love that I remember to this day. We've been friends through college, weddings, the births of our children, and the death of a parent. Margaret and I can't get together as often as we'd like; but when we have the opportunity, we pick up where we left off.
Is our relationship with God like that? Hopefully, we don't go several days or weeks without connecting with Him. But if we do, through His grace we can pick up where we left off. Sometimes God taps us on the shoulder and seems to say, "Come back this way" or "Follow me." I reconnect with God when I see a beautiful sunset at the beach, a clear blue sky, a cleansing summer rain, the candles being lit one by one at our Advent Carol/Candlelight service, or when the Sanctuary Choir sings "I Thank My God" or other favorites.
One of our memory verses for children at church this year has been Deuteronomy 6:5: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." To hear the voice of a child recite this verse is truly a blessing. During this Advent season and the coming year, I pray that we, the children of God, will all "love God and love people" and continue developing an intimate relationship with God every day!
Amy Dixon has been a member of First Baptist Nashville since just before her marriage to Rick in 1989. Amy and Rick have two children, Sean (14) and Kaylee (10). Rick’s parents are First Baptist members Rubynelle and Tommy Dixon. At First Baptist Amy has served as a teacher in Mission Friends and during children’s Sunday night activities. She is a busy working mom, employed as a sales manager at the Embassy Suites–Airport.
The audio version of today's devotional was recorded by Kristin Jernigan.
