Create a Christmas that Shapes Your Spirit

Jesus came to change the world, but He also came to change us. (I really suspect that the way He can change the world is through us, but that's another topic.) The important thing, for today's message, is that we are to be like Jesus. Seeing what He sees. Hearing what He hears. Doing what He does.

We talked this morning about what changes Jesus wants to make in us:

• He came to give us a spirit of compassion.
• He came to give us a spirit of generosity--generosity with things like time, talents, and treasures as well as wisdom and forgiveness.
• He came to give us a spirit of grace and truth.

Think for a moment about the God we serve. He cares for us and cared enough to buy our salvation and eternal life when we were helpless in our sin. He is generous with us, giving us everything we need (but not necessarily everything we want sometimes) and has gifted each of us with talents and spiritual gifts. He has grace that he freely bestows on us, and His truth has set us free!

We are supposed to be like Him. If we are letting Him change us to be more and more like Him, we will have an impact on this world. We are His hands and feet in this world. Consider these scriptures:

"The King [Jesus] will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matthew 25:14

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new ishere! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."
II Corinthians 5:17-20

It is a wonderful thing to have received the gift of salvation. That is, by far, the best Christmas present ever. The fact that God has also gifted us with a responsibility to "be Jesus" to those around us is amazing to me! When we reach out to others in a spirit of compassion and generosity, we are showing Jesus to those around us.

It doesn't matter if it is December or April or August. When we reach out we are reminding them in a big way or a small way of the gift that came to mankind on that first Christmas night 2,000 years ago. It's our way of saying Merry Christmas all year long.

Thoughts? Post a comment!