I Don't Want Christmas to End: A 3-Day Devotional With Zach WilliamsSample

Christmas Treasure

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”— Matthew 6:21

What things do you most look forward to and love about Christmas? It probably has something to do with making new memories and taking time to enjoy old ones, right? The decorations, the traditions, the celebrations with family and friends—it’s a special time of year and there’s nothing else like it. We roll our eyes when stores begin marketing the holiday months in advance, but it’s hard to blame them. Christmas is an entirely unique season, and even though we sometimes don’t want it to come at us too early, many of us can admit we also don’t want it to end. We’d rather hold on to Christmas than let it go, and it’s important to consider why.

Think about the very first Christmas. Mary and Joseph didn’t get to decorate a tree, hang lights on the house, drink hot chocolate, or head to the bank with an annual bonus check. In fact, the circumstances they faced were unexpected and difficult. But the events in Luke 2 assure us that Mary and Joseph knew they were experiencing something special. Jesus is a treasure entirely unique from all other gifts. And later in Matthew 6, Jesus talked about that because He knew we’d be tempted to treasure other gifts that can’t possibly sustain us or give us the kind of joy that lasts.

The thing is, it’s no different for us now—more than 2,000 years later. No matter what is happening in our lives, Christmas is special because it reminds us that God came down to save us and be with us in every unexpected and difficult thing we face. The things we can see and touch at Christmas time can be comforting, but it doesn’t take long for us to figure out they aren’t the real treasure. They don’t define who we are. The treasure is Jesus. He defines who we are. And when we treasure Christmas the way God intends for us to, when we treasure Jesus, we don’t have to let go. We won’t let go because He is the prize we treasure in our hearts. So, we’ll wake up tomorrow and do it all again. We’ll hold on to the gift of Jesus all year long.

• What are some signs your treasure is in the right place at Christmas time? The wrong place?
• Practically, what would it look like for you to “hold on to Christmas” in the months to come?
• Thank Jesus for coming to earth, living life to give you an example, dying on the cross and then rising from the dead to give you peace, joy, and certain hope. Acknowledge the things you’ve been treasuring most. Ask the Lord to give you a deeper love and value for the eternal over the temporary so that you might hold on to the joy of Christmas throughout the whole year.