Now What?
Good Morning,
Yesterday most of us celebrated the joy of Christmas; Jesus coming to earth as a baby. He was both fully God and fully human. Some of you will hold on to the Christmas season as long as possible. Your tree and lights will stay up and you will continue playing Christmas music. Others of you will probably take down your tree today and get ready to move on with your regular life.
Whether you leave your decorations up or take them down, if we move on from Christmas and settle into our routines with no lingering effects, the impact of Christ’s coming has missed us. The fact of Jesus’ birth, His life, death, and resurrection must change us. The price God the Father paid by sending His one and only was far too high for us to regard it lightly. The transformation Jesus calls us to is far reaching and life altering. It is practical. (We are going to explore this idea further early next year.)
As we close out 2022 here are a few very pragmatic ways Christmas can and should stay in our sightlines all year. Pick one or two and begin to focus on bringing Jesus into these areas of your life.
· Calendar – Where does God fit in to your schedule? If you looked at the last month, would He show up in it?
· Cell Phone – Twitter, Texting, Facebook, Instagram, ESPN: How is Jesus impacting your use of these? Are they keeping you from being fully present in the moment?
· Eyes – Where you look and what you look at.
· Tongue – Does what comes out of your mouth reflect a Jesus flavored life?
· Control – To what degree are you trying to wrestle with God over the keys to your life and endeavors?
· Family – Like Abraham, have your kids taken on an improper place in your heart; one only God deserves?
· Fear – Do you say you trust God, or do you really trust God?
Questions to ponder:
1) How will you begin to bring the real meaning of Christmas into your life starting today?
2) What reminders can you put in place to keep this in mind?
Live on purpose, Ron Klopfenstein, CPLC