Tag: DEVOTIONAL

Christian

Who Unwrapped All the Presents?!

Cindy Dawson

My mom used to decorate for Christmas with lots of elegantly wrapped empty boxes tied with the most exquisite bows. She would carefully store them in her basement after the holidays for the next year.

When my son was a little boy, he had a friend who lived next door to my parents. We called him “Little Greg”. Even though he is now a lawyer in his 40s, I still think of him as “Little Greg”. His mom and my sister were good friends, and they used to take the boys to all the fun places in the city.

One day, when my son and Little Greg were playing in my mom’s basement. They had been quiet for a long time, so my mom went down to check on them. What she saw shocked her!

Wrapping paper and bows covered the floor! The boys had unwrapped all the “fake” Christmas packages, looking for toys!

This is one of our favorite family stories that never gets old. No matter how many times it’s told, this story always makes us laugh. My son, Zack, and his friend Little Greg were looking for presents, but all they got were empty boxes! They were looking for gifts in all the wrong places.

This Christmas, let us seek the real gift of Christmas, Jesus our Savior and Lord. There are lots of beautifully wrapped packages that are really just empty boxes. But Jesus is the real gift of Christmas. Merry Christmas and God bless you all!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 NIV Read full chapter

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

The Magnitude of God’s Grace.

Cindy Dawson

Quote of the Week for 12/24/25

“God desires that His children not only receive His grace but understand why it is precious. Through the Son, believers learn to value mercy because they see what it cost…
In Christ’s submission to the Father’s will, the depth of divine mercy is revealed. The Father’s justice and compassion meet perfectly in the cross. In that sacred union, the believer learns both the seriousness of sin and the magnitude of grace.”

bruce cooper, reasoned cases for christ

See Bruce’s excellent post, Knowing the Father Through the Son: The Door That Never Closes HERE.

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Training Children with Love

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Sunday, 12/21/25

“He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love].” Proverbs 13:24 AMP

“Parents are counseled to discipline their children so that they do not persist in foolish ways (22:15) that can only lead to their destruction (19:18; 23:13–14). Discipline “imparts wisdom” (29:15) and promotes a healthy and happy family (29:17). It is rooted in love (see 3:11–12 and note). rod. A concrete figure of speech for caring discipline of any kind.” NIV Case for Christ Study Bible

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Are We Compromising God’s Word for Popularity and Acceptance?

Cindy Dawson

2-minute devotion for Saturday, 12/20/25

The 15th chapter of 1 Samuel teaches us a crucial lesson about obeying God. The Lord instructed King Saul to wipe out the Amalekites completely, including all that belonged to them. But Saul spared Agag and the best of the cattle and other animals.

Not only that, but after the battle, Saul set up a monument in his own honor. (v. 12)

The prophet Samuel confronted Saul, saying,

“Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” (v. 19

Saul blamed the soldiers, saying,

“The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder … in order to sacrifice them to the Lord” (v. 21)

But Samuel replied:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.” (v.v 22-23) (emphasis mine)

What was Saul’s excuse?

“I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.” 1 Samuel 15:22-24 Read full chapter HERE

There we have it in a nutshell! Saul was an arrogant leader who thought he knew better than God. He gave in to the will of the people instead of obeying the Word of the Lord.

My question to you is this: Do we do the same in our churches today? Are we ignoring some of God’s commands to appease the people?

Do we neglect to teach what the Bible says on topics like: Eschatology, the nation of Israel, false teachers, abortion, and/or the sins of homosexuality and transgender ideology?

Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26

The Bible says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (emphasis mine)

And the Apostle Paul states, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. (emphasis mine)

Is it because, like Saul, we are afraid of the people? Do we avoid controversial topics and give in to a world view that is in conflict with Biblical teaching?

Saul faced the consequences of his actions:

“You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel.” (v. 26) Read full chapter

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak.
Not to act is to act.”― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

What Has God Called Me to Do?

Cindy Dawson

Quote of the Week for 12/17/25

“Your call will become clear as your mind is transformed by the reading of Scripture and the internal work of God’s Spirit. The Lord never hides His will from us. In time, as you obey the call first to follow, your destiny will unfold before you. The difficulty will lie in keeping other concerns from diverting your attention.” 

Charles swindoll

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Keep Planting Those Seeds!

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Monday, 12/15/25

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV (emphasis mine)

My Thoughts: Keep planting seeds because it is God who will make them grow. If you know very worldly people, figuring out how to share the Gospel can be overwhelming. Maybe they are neighbors or co-workers you care about. May this verse encourage you to keep planting seeds! Pray that the Lord will make them grow!

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

How Can I Gain Wisdom?

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Sunday, 12/14/25

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10 NIV

My Thoughts: To fear the Lord means you wouldn’t dare exalt your own opinions and desires above God’s Word. Trusting God’s Word is the secret to this treasure.

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

The Responsibility of an Older Woman

Cindy Dawson

1-minute devotion for Friday, 12/12/25

“Older women similarly are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor addicted to much wine, teaching what is right and good, so that they may encourage the young women to tenderly love their husbands and their children, to be sensible, pure, makers of a home [where God is honored], good-natured, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” Titus 2:3-5 AMP

My Thoughts: Older Christian women have a lot of wisdom to share. I hope you have an older woman to look up to and turn to for advice. My grandmothers have gone on to be with the Lord. They were wise women, and I miss them so much!

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Words of Wisdom From History

Cindy Dawson

Quote of the Week for 12/10/25

 A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”

Theodore Roosevelt

While most people living in 19th-century America were familiar with the King James Bible, few laypeople knew the Scriptures as well as TR. Thomas Kidd

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Are You Waiting for God to Answer Your Prayers?

Cindy Dawson

God always answers our prayers. He may say yes, no, or wait. Wait does not mean no. It means wait.

If God says, “Wait,” He has a purpose in your wait.

If you are waiting for an answer to prayer, God does not want you to give up! Jesus explains this in The Parable of the Persistent Widow. 

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8

So, does God sometimes make us wait? Yes!

  • Abraham waited 25 years for the birth of his son, Isaac. (Genesis)
  • Joseph waited 13 years before becoming the 2nd-in-command in Egypt. (Genesis 15-30)
  • Moses wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. (Numbers 14:33-35)
  • David waited 15 years from the time he was anointed until he became king. (1 Samuel 16 through 2 Samuel 2)

God used this time of waiting to teach them perseverance. Romans 5:4 tells us that perseverance forges character, and character produces hope. Hope is essential because it gives us strength. When the time was right, God answered their prayer.

(The Greek word in verse 1 for “give up” is enkakeō. It means to give up, become discouraged, or lose heart.)

Jesus ended the lesson with this question:

“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (v. 8)

If Jesus returns today, will He find you giving up and losing heart? Or will He find you persisting in prayer, no matter how long you’ve been waiting? Do you trust God to answer your prayer when the time is right?

You may have been waiting 20 years, but your answer could come today! If not, remember this: your answer will come when the time is right.

In His Love, Cindy

Would you like to learn more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6

(This post was inspired by my pastor’s Sunday sermon.)

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

RealChristianWomen.blog