GIF Keeping Christ in Christmas

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
(1 John 2:16)

Keeping Christ in Christmas
by Larry Burkett

It irritates me to see Christ being taken out of Christmas. That’s not limited to only non-Christians—even Christians have adjusted to the commercialism of the holiday season. Obviously, not all of it is bad; in fact, the holiday season provides opportunities for families to reunite and also provides a pleasant break from our routines.

I personally look forward to these days as an opportunity to visit with friends who are much too busy other times of the year to just stop and relax.

Gift-giving is a relatively new idea. Until a couple of centuries ago, Christmas was reserved as a religious holiday on a noncommercial basis. However, gift-giving became a generally accepted practice and was used primarily to show appreciation to loved ones.

As with most things that start out right, somewhere along the way the direction shifted. How did it happen? It seems apparent that Christians aren’t as wise in the things of the Lord as non-Christians are.

The secular world is always looking for ways to shift attention from God to material things, and unfortunately, we have been part of the problem.

It’s time for Christians to stop compromising. I hope that we can keep the true meaning and significance of Christ at the center of the Christmas season, and avoid the distractions the enemy sends our way.

“He who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:21).

Have a wonderful day as you celebrate our Savior’s birthday!

Daily Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 12 – 13
2 John
3 John