The commercials are on television, the advertisements are popping up on your computer, and the radio stations are filled with talk of what to buy for Christmas. Yes, once again we are at that wonderful time of the year. That time of the year when we celebrate with friends and family at Thanksgiving and celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time. It is also the time of the year when people are more generous, and more willing to help out in their communities. That is good. But it is also a time of the year when people say, “Well I guess I should give back,” or “I have not done much this year for others, I should do something.” That follows with the start of a new year in which I hear, “I didn’t really do much last year, so I want to help others.” I would like to encourage you to stop with these statements, stop with feeling this guilt and understand that the love that Christ has for you, a love greater then we can imagine, is based on His actions and not on our actions.
As I wrote that I am not saying that we are not to love the Lord our God with all of who we are, and not to love our neighbor as our self (Matthew 22:37-39). The words of Jesus are clear to us and we are to do that. But if we serve out of obligation, or out of guilt, then we will never fully enjoy the grace of God. I will speak from personal experience that when you serve others as the Lord has commanded, we truly do see all that God has done in our lives, and I believe that we then can experience God’s grace more fully. Experiencing God’s grace more fully and being fully loved by God are not the same thing. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, then you are saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 gives us perfect clarity as it states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one may boast.”
Now, I would guess that some of you are saying, “I know that.” Well if you know that why are you feeling that since it is Christmas time then you should do something for others. Why may I dare ask are you feeling guilty? Have you made the statement to yourself something to the effect that implies God is unhappy with you? I look at John 10 and see the words of Jesus when He said, “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). I will state it again that salvation for you and I is based on the works of Jesus, His actions on the cross, and nothing we do will change that.
Maybe now you are saying that you still fill you want to get out and serve God by loving your neighbors. I would say to you, “praise God!” The Holy Spirit is alive and well in you and moving in you to take new steps or maybe to revisit some old steps. Maybe it has been a while since you have served others. Well now would be a great time to find where God is calling you to serve. The beauty of all the areas to serve in this time of year is that it gives a chance to each of us to find that spot to where the Lord has called us. Be excited that you are heeding the call of the Holy Spirit in your life to serve, and get ready to enjoy it, and receive that fresh revelation of how much that the Lord loves you.