Living Out Christmas - 12/12/11

As I sat and watched our children's Christmas play last night, I was reminded of the sparkle and twinkle of Christmas. In the U.S., we have wrapped the holidays up in a very nice package. We mostly spend time worrying about how it is wrapped, rather than considering the gift that comes inside of the wrapping. And here's a thought - no matter how you wrap Jesus, He's still the same gift.

In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus tells those following Him that they have to be willing to give up everything in order to follow Him. This isn't a one-time recruitment message, nor is is a simple prayer and your done. We seem to think that by going to church on Christmas and Easter, that our relationship to God will simply pan out in the end. However, this is NOT the message the Jesus communicates! It will be hard. It will be tiring. It will be grueling. Does that sound like the simple message of the Messiah coming that we usually hear at Christmas?

Instead of spending all of this Christmas season wondering about all of the beautiful wrapping and lights, I encourage you to deeply consider how the Messiah has changed your life. I encourage you to consider His message of hope to humanity along with His desire that you follow Him intimately. I encourage you to spread the word about God's affect on YOUR life. Show them how the Messiah has forever changed who you are and invite them to start the journey this season. It's not a one-time commitment and then your done; but, they can start the walk now. There's never a better time than now!

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

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