For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV
If you are listening to a radio station that is currently playing Christmas music, you will probably hear the song, We Need a Little Christmas. This song comes from Jerry Herman’s Broadway musical Mame and was first performed on Broadway by Angela Lansbury in 1966. In this musical Mame has lost her fortune during the Wall Street Crash in 1929 and decides that her nephew and her two servants need a little Christmas now, which is one week past Thanksgiving. Since the time the song was written, the Christmas season has begun earlier than it once did.
In the musical, Mame declares that they need a little Christmas to cheer them up. She mentions things like hauling out the holly, decorating the tree, singing Carols, putting up stockings, telling Santa that we are in a hurry. We all have those things that put us in the Christmas spirit. Perhaps it is decorating the tree with your family or going out to see Christmas lights. Maybe it feels like Christmas for you once the stockings are hung. These are all things that help to put us in the Christmas spirit. I truly enjoy decorating the tree, hanging the stockings, seeing the beautiful decorations and hearing the Christmas music. But these are all the things we do to prepare for the birthday party to celebrate the greatest birth ever. We must not forget what it’s really all about.
I am referring to the birth of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:12 tells us that sin entered the world through one man and death entered through sin and in this way, death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all sinners. We all need a savior. This is why God sent His Son Jesus Christ. Sin and death came through Adam, but the gift of righteousness came through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).
We live in a fallen world. Sadly, there is evil all around us. We are told in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that difficult times will come in the last days. People will be evil and will perpetrate evil against each other.
I try not to look at the news, but still we are bombarded with the evil that is all around us. You can’t log into the internet without news feeds speaking of some evil that is being or has been perpetrated.
God sent His Son to die a horrible death on a cross so that we might be saved. So, my question to you today is what are you going to do with this awesome gift? Will you toss it aside? Will you return it? Or will you accept it and allow Him to transform your life by changing your heart? Will you let Him serve as an example of how you are supposed to live (Ephesians 5:1). Will you study His word to help you to understand how to be a good, husband or wife, son or daughter, brother or sister, and servant? Will you strive to live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him? Will you gladly accept the peace and joy that come from a solid relationship with Him?
We so desperately needed that baby that was born in a manger, and we still do. God sent Him to save us from our sins, but He never forced Him upon us. It’s a choice we have to make. You can choose to accept a whole lot of Christmas all year round or you can reject Him all together. The choice is yours.
I lived my life for many years saying that I accepted Him but living in a way that said I rejected Him. Once I accepted Him and surrendered to Him my life changed for the better. I need a whole lot of Jesus in my life every day and in everything that I do. I don’t ever want to go back to a life where I didn’t put Him first. I don’t ever want to go back to a life where I struggled to run things and just made a mess of everything.
If you feel like you need a little Christmas, know that you need a whole lot of Christmas. You need to celebrate Christ’s birth. You need to put Him first in your life. Why not accept a whole lot of Christmas now? Why not keep Him in your heart all year long? It’s a decision you will never regret.
Have a great day!