Editor’s note: Believe it or not, Advent and Christmas are right around the corner! Today, we’re sharing a sneak-peek at a brand-new devotional that brings back the nostalgia of one of the most beloved Christmas classics A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Enjoy today’s devotion from A Christmas Carol Devotional.
*
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me. — Revelation 3:20
“I want nothing from you; I ask nothing of you; why cannot we be friends?”
Before Fred leaves Scrooge’s office on Christmas Eve, he invites his uncle to spend Christmas Day with him and his wife, but Scrooge refuses to come. And it’s not just because Scrooge tends to avoid family gatherings. It’s because he doesn’t mingle or mix with other people—ever. He doesn’t seek out the company of others, and people don’t typically seek him out: “Nobody ever stop[s] him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, ‘My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?’”
And Scrooge prefers it that way: “What did Scrooge care! It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.” In fact, most everyone—including children and blind men’s dogs—avoids Scrooge at all cost. Except for his nephew Fred.
Fred comes into Scrooge’s counting-house year after year, Christmas after Christmas, with an invitation: “Come! Dine with us tomorrow.” But Scrooge always refuses. This time, Fred practically begs Scrooge, saying, “I want nothing from you; I ask nothing of you; why cannot we be friends?” But no matter what Fred says, Scrooge won’t budge.
Despite Scrooge’s efforts to push him away, Fred refuses to give up on Scrooge. Regardless of Scrooge’s grumbling and bah-humbugging, Fred vows to keep trying: “I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him.” Scrooge can “rail” at him all he likes, but Fred isn’t going to stop inviting him.
Scrooge doesn’t deserve Fred’s yearly invitation, but Fred extends it anyway. Scrooge hasn’t earned Fred’s kindness, but Fred offers it freely. What a stunning picture of God’s great compassion toward us, year in and year out. And what a powerful echo of Christ’s daily invitation to come and commune with Him.
Jesus’s coming was God’s ultimate, loving pursuit of mankind.
Jesus in the manger came with an invitation—an invitation to become “children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Not because we earned it. Not because of anything we did to deserve it. But because of His great mercy (Titus 3:5). In fact, the Bible tells us that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He came to make us His own.
Jesus comes into our counting-houses, into our daily lives and places of work and play, asking one simple question: “Cannot we be friends?” He invites us into His embrace and pursues us with a continual, persevering kind of love. He doesn’t shy away from our problems. He doesn’t cross to the other side of the street or avoid us. He doesn’t turn a blind eye to our pain or sorrow. He keeps knocking. He keeps pursuing. He never gives up.
His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6).
Prepare Him Room
Fred doesn’t want to merely spend Christmas with his uncle Scrooge; he wants a relationship. To an even greater degree, Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with you. He stands, knocking at the door of your heart, ready to come in and dine with you (Revelation 3:20). The question for you is this: Will you accept the invitation to come and sit with Jesus today?
Who is the “Scrooge” in your life? Who is the person you refuse to give up on? We all know someone who is grumpy or prickly—someone we’d rather avoid. We all have people in our lives that we dearly love and can’t seem to reach. This Christmas, let’s learn from Fred’s example and be known as the ones who welcome. Let’s be people who never give up. Let’s be people who keep inviting. Let’s be people who continually open our homes—and our hearts—to those around us.
If it seems as though someone you love will never change or turn to the Lord, start today with consistent, daily prayer.
- Don’t give up hope. You never know when your “Scrooge” might soften.
A Christmas Prayer
Lord, thank You for inviting me into Your embrace day after day. Thank You for pursuing me, year in and year out. I want to accept Your invitation to walk in closer communion with You, Jesus. Make me a vessel of Your grace to the people around me. Show me how to join You in the loving pursuit of hearts, especially during the Christmas season. Teach me to be a person who always invites, always pursues, and never gives up. For the people I know who seem hardened to Your love, I ask You to please soften their hearts. In Your name I pray, amen.
Excerpted with permission from A Christmas Carol Devotional by Rachel Dodge, copyright Rachel Dodge.
* * *
Your Turn
Who’s the Scrooge in your life? Remember how Jesus sought you out? Maybe, considering that, you can extend grace to the difficult person who needs Jesus. Lean in to the Lord and invite someone. Be a Fred! ~ Devotionals Daily