t’s Wednesday, December 17th, 2025. Eight days until Christmas. That means there are two kinds of people in the world right now: those who finished their Christmas shopping—and the rest of us. Panicking, we scroll through websites, wander aisles, and hope inspiration strikes. We want to find that gift: the one that will speak love so clearly it leaves someone speechless when the wrapping paper falls away.
But maybe the perfect gift isn’t something you purchase. Maybe it has already been given.
Today's Reading:
2 Peter 1,2,3; John 1
Scripture
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)
Observation
God “has given us everything we need.” Not some things. Not most things. Everything.
And that phrase “has given” is in the perfect tense—a completed act with present results. In other words, what God placed in your life through Christ hasn’t faded with time. It wasn’t a seasonal blessing or a starter kit for faith. It’s active, current, and enough.
That means the Christian life isn’t a scavenger hunt. I don’t spend my days trying to locate what God forgot to provide. The strength I need to forgive is already in His grace. The courage to face tomorrow rests in His Spirit. The wisdom for decisions lives in His Word.
Application
Maybe the perfect gift this Christmas isn’t waiting under a tree; it’s waiting to be remembered.
Where am I living as if I don’t have what I need? Faith? Joy? Patience? Calling? Peter would say, “You do. God gave it. And what He gave still works.”
Eight days before Christmas, when gifts are on our minds, this verse challenges me to stop asking God for “more strength” and start drawing from the strength already given.
His divine power has given me everything I need. Spiritual maturity isn’t acquiring something new; it’s awakening to what God has already given… that’s the perfect gift.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the perfect gift. You have placed everything I need within reach because You are not distant or absent; You are here. Help me live today aware of You, drawing on Your strength instead of my own. Your presence is enough for today, enough for tomorrow, and enough for every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
–Chris Kiriakos
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