“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” (Matthew 11:10)
The holiday season can become a time of hustle and bustle. There are a lot of things to prepare for as Christmas approaches. Like most Americans, I enjoy the thoughts of being with family and friends sharing meals, gifts and warm conversations. However, preparing for their company can become a bit overwhelming at times. If you are like me, you like to prepare a warm inviting house for others to feel welcome and comfortable in. This can come at a cost with feeling the pressure to clean house, decorate, and prepare delicious foods and having the perfect music to invite your much welcome company in. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without someone to share and make memories with, right? Who are some of those people in your life? Is Jesus one of them?
Although, Christmas can be a joyful time preparing to be with family and friends, however for me, it is also a time to prepare my heart to reflect on, Jesus, the One who made my joy possible. Without Him, I wouldn’t have these great people in my life or have the peace I have from day to day. For me, it is not about being religious and needing to go through rituals to honor Him, but rather just meditate on what His ultimate gift of love has done for me throughout the year and how His blessings flow in my life because of His sacrifice. Preparing for Him to be honored comes easy for me, much easier than baking cookies or cleaning a house for company! Preparing myself daily for Jesus comes with ease because my thoughts are reflected on His blessings in my life, which creates a heart of worship inside that I pray flows outward to the ones around me. My prayer is that it really does prepare the way for Jesus to come through me and my words and actions to others. John the Baptist knew His call and was determined to prepare for the coming King. I want to be like John and prepare the way for Him too, but mostly for others who haven’t met Him yet to be introduced to Him through me. In what ways this season are you preparing the way for Jesus to come? How are you preparing for others to meet Him through you? Is it in practical, simple ways that not only speak to you, but to those around you? Prepare your heart and others today for the coming King who truly is the joy of this season!
Below are some practical things you can do to prepare yourself for Jesus and others around you in real, relational ways :
1) Make a praise list of things God has done for you this year and add to it each day new blessings
2) Read scriptures relating to the coming Savior's birth(can be found in the Gospels)
3) Worship music helps reflect on God's glory and helps create a heart of worship
4) Do something kind for someone today that reflects God's heart towards them
5)** Make the choice to forgive someone whom you may have been offended by this season- this is the most powerful way to love Jesus!
-send an encouragement card
-take them to lunch
-invite them for coffee
-make or buy them a small gift
-give them a simple hug or a compliment
-simply offer your help this season in a practical way(babysit, go shopping for them, clean for them, etc.)
- donate time or money to an organization, serving at a homeless shelter or Salvation Army
There are tons of ways to reflect and prepare for Jesus's gift of love and pass it on to others this season. Below is a webiste with suggestions too and many more on the internet.
http://www.suite101.com/content/keep-jesus-the-focus-of-christmas-a36166I pray you all have a very blessed Christmas as you prepare for the greatest joy you will ever have, Jesus!
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