Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading titled One Day Closer to Christmas was written by Adam Holes.

I can't believe Christmas is over, my dejected daughter said.

I know how she feels.

The aftermath of Christmas can feel dreary.

Presents have been opened, the tree and lights must come down, listless January, and for many,

the need to shed holiday pounds awaits. Christmas and the breathless anticipation that comes with it

suddenly feels eons away.

A few years ago, as we were putting Christmas stuff away, I realized, no matter what the calendar says,

we're always one day closer to the next Christmas.

It's becoming something I say frequently.

But far more important than our temporal celebration of Christmas

is the spiritual reality behind it, the salvation Jesus brought into our world and our hope for

his return. Scripture talks repeatedly about watching, waiting, and longing for Christ's

second coming. I love what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3.

He contrasts the world's way of living, with mindset on earthly things,

with a lifestyle shaped by hope in Jesus' return.

Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there,

the Lord Jesus Christ. The reality that our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The reality that our citizenship is in heaven changes everything, including what we hope

for and how we live.

That hope is fortified by the knowledge that with every passing day, we're indeed one

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