Christmas For The Christian
This time of year, as December 25th draws near, people tend to put on a different face. Christmas is a time for being a little nicer. It is a time for giving, for being thankful, and for setting aside differences and getting along. For some it might also be a time for remembering the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a special time of year for many. How good it is to be a better person one day - or maybe one month - a year.
But what about for the Christian? Is this a hugely different time of year for us like it is for those in the world? Do we act a little nicer? Are we a little kinder? Are we putting on a different face this time of year - one that comes off in the new year?
Any holiday is nice and can be a special time where we are able to spend more time with family and friends. However, this shouldn’t be the same ‘special time’ for us as it is for many in the world. This shouldn’t be our time of temporary kindness, since we should be kind always!
If we look at how many people act - at least outwardly - at Christmas time, we see some things that Christians do all the time.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
The above verses sound like something that people would take on for the “Christmas spirit” - putting away bitterness and anger, being kind, and forgiving others. But these are things that we as Christians are to do always.
We are to be kind; we are to be giving (Ephesians 4:28); we are to get along (submitting to one another - Ephesians 5:21); we are to be thankful (Ephesians 5:20). And of course we are to remember Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We remember not only Jesus’ birth, but His life, His death, and His resurrection; and we do this each first day of the week! In fact, each of these things we do on a constant and consistent basis throughout the entire year, being obedient to God.
As Christians, Christmas is not the time to be better people than we are throughout the rest of the year. We try to be good and proper people in God’s sight each and every day - all year round.
-- John Thrower Jr.