The season of advent is upon us. Yesterday was the first Sunday of advent. Or if you celebrate starting in December, it starts tomorrow. It is the perfect time to make a decision to set these weeks aside to prepare your heart for Christmas, to learn to wait in uncertainty and yet eager expectation. Yes, I know some don’t decorate during advent but I think Christmas decorations are an excellent way to mark the season. Nothing puts me in such a quiet, contemplative mood as looking at a lit tree in a dark room.
These are some of Bible Gateway’s suggestions:
Commit to read the Bible for five minutes (or whatever amount of time fits into your schedule) each day.
Challenge yourself to read a particular section of the Bible during Advent. This doesn’t need to be a huge commitment—reading through one or more of the Gospels would be very thematically appropriate, and easily do-able in a month.
Spend a few extra minutes each day in prayer, perhaps centered around a particular theme. For example, you might pray for a different person in your family, church, or community each day.
Find and read a good devotional during December. We offer several Christmas devotionals, including some Advent-specific ones, here at Bible Gateway, but you could also track one down at your local bookstore, church library, or elsewhere.
Practice charity. Go out of your way each week during Advent to spread grace in your community. This might mean running errands for somebody who can’t do them on their own; volunteering or donating at a food pantry or other organization; visiting somebody who needs company during the holidays; buying groceries for a family struggling to make financial ends meet; or whatever else you can dream up.
God Provides for Us 
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