Stay Warm

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 24:13-14 (NIV)

Someone walked up to me the other day and asked me how I liked my muffler. I thought that was a strange question, but I'm quick witted and so I said, "Like my day has been, it's exhausting!" (Get it? Mufflers are attached to the exhaust systems of automobiles) I know...you can thank me later for a joke you'll be telling all day. Okay, so absolutely no one reading this will ever tell or act like they've ever heard this joke.

Actually, this person wasn't talking about the muffler on my car. I didn't realize it at the time but a muffler is also another term for a scarf. And I had my scarf on that day.

Someone from the church gave me the scarf for Christmas. A quick Wikipedia search reveals that scarves are used for one or all of the following purposes: cleanliness, fashion, religious purposes, or warmth. I'm hoping that I didn't receive this scarf because someone thought I needed to keep my neck clean. But it is fashionable, I am religious, and it definitely keeps me warm. If I had known that scarves keep you so warm, I would have been wearing a scarf my entire life! I love my scarf!

In the suggested scripture reading for today, Jesus talks about growing cold. When we fail to love God with our whole heart, when we fail to love our neighbor as ourselves, and when we listen to voices other than the voice of God, wickedness (sin) inevitably follows...and our love for God and others grows colder and colder.

I love the scarf that I received for Christmas because I enjoy being warm in cold environments. And I want to stay warm when it comes to my love of God and my love of neighbor. I don’t want my love to grow cold in what can often appear to be a cold world. I want to stand firm to the end. I want to  avoid sinking further into wickedness and sin. To stay warm, to stand firm means continuing to grow in my love for God and others. Today I'll be intentional about finding ways to grow in that love.
 
May God grant you the grace to be warmed by His love and to love those around you warmly today.




Tomorrow's suggested readings: Matthew 25

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