This is Day One of A Canine Christmas release. I’d like to start with a devotional since the heart of every one of my books is to draw people closer to the Lord. For a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and the ebook version of A Canine Christmas, share in the comments below how you combat today’s culture.
A Canine Christmas Devotional
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
We live in a culture that seems to devalue Christian beliefs—even among many Christians. Just look at the number of progressive churches that are popping up everywhere in an attempt to draw people in by tickling their ears.
The Bible is black and white (with the most important words in red). There are no shades of gray with God. Many young people are swayed by empathy to not only condone sin but to celebrate it. The enemy knows just what buttons to push to draw people away from the Lord.
Amelia Hutchinson, the main character in A Canine Christmas, learned the hard way that following Jesus isn’t necessarily easy. Her Daddy told her she was more valuable than a 1952 Micky Mantle baseball card and to hold out for a man who’d see her worth—otherwise it’d be a dishonor to the Lord. And she believed it.
But when her boyfriend dumped her for sticking to her purity pledge, she told herself, ‘It was like I should be wearing a scarlet A on my chest—except it’d stand for abstinence instead of adultery.”
Things have certainly changed since Nathaniel Hawthorne’s day.
The pressure to conform has never been harder than it is now, and our young people are the victims of this fact. We need to build them up to be strong and confident in the Lord. We need to talk openly about the issues they’re facing and continually point them back to Jesus. We need them to know they are loved more fully by their Creator than anyone else on earth.
And we need to give ourselves grace when we find that despite our best efforts, our kids stray from our teachings. The world is full of prodigals, but the Lord never lets them go.
Heavenly Father, we ask that You will provide for our children protection from the enemy, wisdom to make godly choices, and the knowledge of Your great love for them. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for it’s in Your most holy and righteous name we pray.
Comment below to be entered for the Amazon Gift Card and ebook version of A Canine Christmas.
