Keep It Going

 

The world waits all year for the Christmas season to arrive. When it gets here we allow ourselves to be joyful and kind, and we allow ourselves to give more than we receive (well some of us). For most of us, when Christmas arrives we allow ourselves to let go and allow the meaning of Christmas to take over. Then before we know it, we are saying good bye to Christmas and ushering in a brand new year.  Just as Christmas comes and goes, we return back to focusing on self, we allow kindness to take a backseat, and we don't really care about what the next person needs. We slowly but surely revert back to how we were before the Christmas season gave us a new motivation to live a more selfless life.

What we all need to realize is, the end of the Christmas season doesn’t mean the spirit of Christmas should leave us. Quite the opposite. The spirit of Christmas should be present with us all year round, especially in the lives of believers of Jesus Christ. Because we have the Holy Spirit, the Advocate from the Father (John 14:26), we don’t have to restrict our Christmas season character traits to one month or one day a year. We should carry those traits every day of our lives.

It seems to me that kindness, joy, and selflessness (among other things) come more natural to people during the Christmas season than other times of the year.  It could be that we feel we have to be that way - but what about the rest of the year? Ponder these thoughts - Why must I have joy? Why should I be kind? Why should I care for others?  The answer to these questions is simple - because the Bible says so.  The Bible tells us that when we have the Holy spirit in our lives, we should bear spiritual fruit. The Holy Spirit will produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) The Bible doesn't tell us to produce this fruit during the Christmas season only, neglecting the rest of the year.  There is no limit to how often we should display the fruit of the Spirit. Likewise, there should be no limit to the gratefulness that we feel each time we reflect on the gift of Jesus. Celebrating Christmas and living a Christian life have the same thing in common - Christ. At the heart of it all, we must always remember that God sent his son to be our Savior (Matthew 1:21, John 3:16) That is reason enough to live for Him and strive to be like him, every day of the year. 

Brothers and Sisters, let's keep the spirit of the season going. (Luke 2:14) Let's keep the joy of the Lord going. (Matthew 2:10)  Let's keep the willingness to give to others going. (Matthew 25:40) Let's keep the softening of hearts going.  Those who believe in Christ understand that the spirit of the Christmas season is everyday because the spirit of Christ lives on the inside of those who believe in Him, everyday. Let's let our lives be an example of Christ's love and light, by extending Christ's love to others. Not based on what the world says (during the "Christmas season") - based on what the Bible says - choosing daily to walk with Christ and live for Him, all the days of our lives. 

References

Tyndale House Foundation. (1996, 2004, 2015). Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Carol Stream, Illinois. All rights reserved.: Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.