In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16, ESV
Our love for each other, care for others, and commitment to Christ will show people who He is, and they can only give glory to God if they are saved.
That means God uses you to reach the lost.
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:20, ESV
You must love others. If you belittle, shun, mock, abuse, ignore, mistreat, and/or generally act unkindly toward others…
… and you call yourself a Christian …
… you have made yourself a liar. The love of God is not in you.
Repent, and love.
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8:34-35, ESV
God’s primary concern is not our happiness and comfort in this life.
God’s primary concern is His glory through the salvation of His people. That frequently takes sacrifice and suffering, as our greatest example (Jesus) gave us through the cross.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13, ESV
Do not think that because you sin or life gets hard (and even impossible) that God has abandoned you.
Instead, look for how God is moving in your life, to discipline you – allowing the effects of sin to play out or to help you grow stronger in faith.
He is always with you, Christian.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Romans 13:10, ESV
The love of Christ in us is not merely sacrificial, it is selfless, considerate, patient, and truthful.
Yes, it can be difficult living all of this out. But, in many ways, it gets easier to understand and do as you love them.
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord , and he ponders all his paths.
Proverbs 5:21, ESV
God knows our hearts, our intentions and desires, our hopes and our sins. He knows what we do and why.
Keep this in mind as you live your life.
Continuing our journey through the songs and hymns that have had an impact on my spiritual life, we now turn to another of those famous Christmas carols.
O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
In all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it can be too easy to forget to stop and worship our King.
We must remember that this is a time of joy. Our Savior has come!
Some may get caught up in the materialism. Get past it.
Some may get caught up in the idea that angles do not sing. I like what some teach, that they did sing at Creation (Job 38:7) but stopped singing at the Fall. However, perhaps they did sing at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13-14), for God joined His Creation to save sinful humanity.
Regardless, let us come together and adore our Savior and King!
