How can we truly live Christmas every day of the year?
Today, as we were celebrating a time of Christmas at church, I pondered upon the reason why our Lord Jesus came to the world. I asked, “Why did our Lord Jesus come to our world?” Also, I was wondering how we can live Christmas not just today but every day of our lives?
The well-known Scripture John 3:16 says,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his Only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”
Here the word, “World,” in Greek is “Kosmos.” In the New Testaments, this word, “Kosmos” is used to describe everything that is created in our universe.
In other words, the Bible says that our God came to our world, because he loved and cared for everything that is in our creation. Why did he love and care for everything that is in our creation? It’s because our God has created all of us in the world to enjoy a loving relationship with him. But that relationship has been broken because our sins. So, God sent our Lord Jesus to the world to restore that loving relationship with us.
(1) Are we actively and intentionally going to the world?
As I was pondering upon this verse, two application questions came to my mind. First is, “Are we actively and intentionally going to the world?” Just as our God came to our world full of sins and full of brokenness, because he loved our world, are we too actively and intentionally going into every part of the world where there is sadness, brokenness, and darkness? Our call in this world is not to stay out of the world (John 17:15) but to go into every part of this creation, “Kosmos,” to bring God’s light to the world.
(2) Are we showing the world a radical and sacrificial love of God?
The second application question that came to my mind was, “Are we showing the world a radical and sacrificial love of God in the way we live our lives?” Our Lord Jesus Christ not only came to our world, but he also showed God’s love through a sacrificial death on the cross. The best way to show our world God’s love is not just to talk about it but to demonstrate it with our lives.
How can we demonstrate that? Well, think about every blessing that God has given to us. Are we using them to serve our neighbours, our communities, and our world? Or, are we using them to serve ourselves? Everything that we have is not ours but God’s. God wants us to live a life of a faithful steward that shares and gives generously to serve the world. When we do that, we can demonstrate the love of God that he came to show to the world.
So, the reason that God came to our world during this season of Christmas is to demonstrate his love for us. Now, it’s our turn to live and embody the message of Christmas. How can we do that? When we are intentionally and actively going to every part of our world where there is sadness, brokenness, and darkness to bring God’s light and when we are demonstrating God’s love in the way we live our lives by sharing everything God has given to us to serve others, we can live and embody the message of Christmas during every day of our lives, hopefully pointing the world to our Saviour Jesus Christ.