Luke 2:39
When Jesus' parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.
Underneath the tree is empty.........
No presents anywhere........
Stocking's have been drained of their gifts,,,,,,
the Christmas meal has been consumed, and what was left has been relegated to various sizes of containers. The leftovers have been herded together into the fridge.
It's the day after the day....
Now what?
If Christmas is suppose to be a celebration of the birth of Christ, then what about all the days that follow it until we roll back around to the next Christmas?
As much as I love Christmas, it is a day to remind us of the one who paid our sin debt.
One who possessed the character and call to go to the cross.
So what does this mean to me?
The next 365 days are to a learning experience for me.
Learning what real love is....
Then giving it away....
Learning what it means to be a servant...>
Then serving....
Understanding that worship is more than an adjective to describe the service I go to at church....
That worship truly is verb, which denotes action and movement.
Worship is a lifestyle.....
We celebrate the birth of Christ...
But we don't leave him there, lying in a manger...
This babe grows to be a man...
Maybe that is what Christmas is really all about...
A time to recognize the call from God for us to grow in Him.
To not be satisfied with being a "Babe" in Christ...
Take a moment to think back over the past year.
Have you grown spiritually?
What Scripture became important in your life?
What were the situations and events that tested you to the point that you felt like giving up?
These are the inventory things we need to take stock of in order to prepare ourselves for the coming year.
Look for times when you failed God...these are important also. Maybe you felt led to do something or go speak to someone, but another voice kept you from carrying the task out.
Such times are not for feeling guilt and shame...
They are to be recognized as areas that you need to allow God to work on.
After all, this whole recovery thing is simply about me getting out of the way so God can work in me....
Don't keep Jesus in the manger over the next year....
Grow as he did....
Become more like him...
God on you...
mbb
No comments:
Post a Comment