Day 25: The Christ of Christmas

Merry Christmas! Today, we celebrate Jesus’ birth! We are gathering with our loved ones, exchanging gifts, and reading Luke 2 and other passages that tell about His coming as a baby into the world. Today, our hearts are full of joy as we remember the best gift this world has ever received—the Messiah who came to save us from our sins and make us right before God!

But the final picture of the Christ of Christmas I want to share with you in today’s devotion is the Christ after Christmas.

Jesus offers a fulfilling and everlasting life to all who would put their trust in Him. That impacts every day of the year for every year of our lives until one day we go to be with Him in Heaven.

As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, He makes us “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:3). And the fruit He matures in us is the Fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”These gifts from God truly make us have a wonderful and fulfilling life.

How can we grow these fruits in our lives? There are a few basic practices that can cause major development if we make them habits. Let me give you five to get you started: Bible reading, prayer, worship, Christian fellowship, and sharing the Gospel.

BIBLE READING
From the opening chapters of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation, the God of the Bible is the God who speaks. He uses His Word as a primary means to do so in our lives. If we are not seeking to hear God’s voice through reading the Bible, we are missing out on some major growth in our Christian walk. Let me challenge you! Pick a book of the Bible (my recommendation is to begin in John) and read a chapter a day.

PRAYER
It has never been more important for God’s people to be “on their knees.”Take some time today and carve out five minutes in your morning schedule to speak to God. Set reminders or alarms and then follow through. Keep the conversation going throughout the day! The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Just like our closest relationships with family and friends, we must speak with God to have a thriving and vibrant relationship with Him.

WORSHIP
One of the biggest misconceptions about worship is that it only means singing worship songs. While it is important to sing to our Savior (the Bible has many examples and encouragements to do so!), you can worship through many other means as well. Anything we do to glorify God is considered worship. We do so because Jesus is worthy of all praise! Set aside time each day to worship our great and wonderful God.

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Charles Spurgeon said, “Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another he delights in. […] Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.” Our fellowship together as a body of believers results from our belonging individually to God through faith in Jesus Christ. His Spirit has come to live in us, and He provides for us a strong unity with one another. Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Make sure to schedule time each week to have fellowship with other believers and to both ask and share about what God is doing in your lives.

SHARING THE GOSPEL
For Christians, there can be great fear in sharing our faith. Some don’t know where to start. Others are afraid of facing difficult questions, or simply rejection. We’ve all been there; and unfortunately, many believers never move beyond that fear! The problem is Satan knows this and often uses fear to keep us from sharing the Gospel. But let me encourage you to take that step in faith. Ask God to give you courage. Pray that He will open a door for you to share His love with another person. God loves to prepare people’s hearts to hear the Good News, and He is waiting for people willing to step out in faith and speak for Him. God uses ordinary people just like you and me to point others to Christ.

Our ministry loves to come alongside churches and believers to help them confidently and lovingly share their faith. You can get started today in growing in this area by taking our free, online training course at www.sharelife.university. Let us put into practice sharing salvation through Jesus to the people we rub shoulders with in our everyday lives!

May Jesus be our Christ and Lord every day of the year. May we continue to grow in Him and become more and more like Him until the day we see Him face-to-face. And may we today, on Christmas, praise Him for His coming and for making a way for salvation. May He always be the center of Christmas and of our lives!

“When Christmas morn is dawning
In faith I would repair
Unto the lowly manger;
My Saviour lieth there,
How kind, O loving Saviour,
To come from heaven above;
From sin and evil save us,
And keep us in thy love.”
- Abel Burckhardt and Elisabeth Ehrenborg-Posse
When Christmas Morn is Dawning

For more on how you can be discipled in sharing your faith, visit our website at www.evangelismexplosion.org.