There may be efforts to take Christ out of Christmas in this world, but we have within each one of us, individually, everything we need to keep Christ in Christmas.  He is in our every moment after all! When we see others, we can choose to beam the love of Jesus into them as we say those words… “Merry Christmas! “ We can shine with His Spirit! It is up to our hearts to show that Christ is still in Christmas!

Nobody can take that from us.  And nobody ever will.  Jesus Christ is getting ready to explode on the scene in magnificent Glory, and I want to make sure He knows that our family will always love Him and be thankful for His birth! As for me and my house, we will always declare Christ in everything – especially HIS OWN BIRTHDAY and we hope you will too. So, let’s continue on with just some of the small things we can do.

Reach Out to the Hurting. The holidays aren’t joyful for many people. There are so many people hurting in today’s world and the world doesn’t have the answers, only God does. So, what are we to do about the hurting? Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. Giving doesn’t necessarily mean monetary things! When you give to others by lending a hand, giving a hug, or encouraging someone, you have just demonstrated the love of Christ! That’s one sure way to keep Christ in Christmas!  Volunteer at your church, babysit for someone, read the Bible to someone who can’t read or can’t see… FIND SOMEONE TO HELP!

Use Social Media. I get a real kick out of the young girl on the television commercial who says to her Dad, “We could pin, post, tweet, snap, tag, chat, check-in, share…” and I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a clue what some of these terms mean. But I do know that social media is a great way to get things out to a large group of people at once – and there’s no better way to spread a message any faster. So, let’s spread the right message. Let’s tell people about the real reason for the season and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I’m reminded of the scriptures that say knowledge will increase in the days just before Jesus returns (Daniel 12) so why shouldn’t that knowledge include the knowledge of the Son of God? It should and it will and it does!

Read the Bible. This sounds so simple, yet it’s probably the most neglected. We simply must read the Bible to know the Christ of the Bible! Only when we really know Jesus Christ, can we tell people about Him with a sincerity that goes beyond the trite sounding holiday greetings we all use. Not only that, but Christ will shine in our eyes and in our demeanor. Have you ever met someone like that? Someone that you know has a special “something” and that “something” is Jesus? I meet them all the time and my hope is that they meet Jesus in me!

Listen to Christmas Songs about Jesus. There are so many “cutesy” Christmas songs written and there’s nothing wrong with listening to them, but listening to hymns and Christmas songs about Jesus Christ will bring the true spirit of Christmas into your heart and home. While you listen to the music, make a conscious effort to focus on the words that you hear. Songs like “O Holy Night,” “Come Let Us Adore Him,” “Silent Night,” and great songs like the many Kevin Shorey has written about keeping Christ in Christmas will supercharge your spirit with the life and message of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Talk about Jesus with Others. There’s not a lot of explanation necessary on this one, but there is a fact we should all check in ourselves. A young woman recently lamented that she couldn’t find anyone who wanted to talk about Jesus …after church. She said she doesn’t understand this because when you love someone, you talk about them all the time. Some people don’t want Jesus in their conversation after they leave the church building, or simply don’t know Him well enough to carry on a conversation about Him. But I’m with this young woman – I talk about Jesus all the time and can’t hang very long with anyone who doesn’t! But Jesus should be in our conversation, especially at the time of year we are celebrating His birth. Come on people, let’s get Jesus back into our everyday conversation. He is coming again soon, and He will be looking for those who know Him!

Help Teach your Grandchildren about Jesus. This is such an extreme privilege that Grandparents have! There is no more important thing that a little one can learn than to teach them of Jesus Christ! What goes into those little minds and hearts will stay with them forever. The Bible says to teach children the ways of God in Deuteronomy 11:19, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” That mean all the time!  So come on Grampa, come on Grandma – pour the knowledge of Jesus into those little ones! Then you can rest in the promise of God that if you “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”