It’s that time of year. Thanksgiving is behind us. Advent has begun. Where is my focus?
How many more Cyber-WEEK ads can bombard my inbox?
Found this group a few years ago and their videos always draw me back to where I should be this time of year. Advent conspiracy.
I can’t sit idly by and watch the presents pile up, the to-do lists lengthen, and not start putting limits on the non-essentials and making more room for the eternal.
Just like what God requires in Micah 6:
“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
I need to give of myself, not just my check book.
II Peter brings in another part to the chorus:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar . . . and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
Are my Christmas habits spotless? Will these works survive the scrutiny of the last days?
Ironic, but I would say Christmas time is possibly one of the hardest times to live as a Christian. Everyone is giving, spending time with family, setting up the traditional nativity scene. How am I any different?
Is my celebration of the birth of my Savior any different than a society that really has no idea the depth of what they portray?
That question hits deep. I can’t even answer it right now. Maybe because if I am honest I know my activities this month wouldn’t measure up as much different from an eternal perspective.
So, then the follow up . . . what am I going to do about it?
Advent calendar with corresponding Scriptures. Good start.
Random acts of Christmas Kindness. That’s a stretching goal.
Sharing my faith. Yeah, I need more of that.
And the list goes on . . .
What’s on your list of essentials for this Christmas season?
Erin (5intow)
from the archives; originally published December 1, 2011
Sixty-six books in a year 