Christmas Christmas Time Is Near

“Christmas, Christmas time is near, time for toys and time for cheer.
We've been good, but we can't last, hurry Christmas, hurry fast
I want a plane that loops the loop. Me, I want a hula hoop.
We can hardly stand the wait. Please Christmas, don't be late.”

The Chipmunk’s Christmas Song – one of my favorites. Christmas is just around the corner, and this time of the year is a needed reminder to all of us just how much God loves us – that He sent His Son, Jesus to be our Savior. The angel’s announced Jesus birth by saying that they had “good news of great joy for all people.” The best news any of us could hear is that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.

This Christmas season, let me encourage you to make focusing on the real meaning of the season a priority in your life. In the middle of all of the hustle and bustle of this time of year, find a settled and quiet peace in the assurance that Jesus is living proof that God loves us and that He will move heaven and earth just to have a relationship with you.

Allow me to suggest some habits that might help you keep your focus where it belongs this year.

First, take time to renew every day. Every morning, renew your connection with God. Take time as your day starts to focus on Him. Thank God for the gift of the next 24 hours and ask His help in managing the time. Quantity of time is not as important as quality of time. You may need to get up about 30 minutes earlier in the morning to have some uncontested time to redirect your energies and attention, but it will be time well spent.

Also, take time to reflect every day. As you lay your head on your pillow at night, why not drift off into sleepy-land thinking about God’s goodness and blessings in your life? As we reflect on God’s activity in our life, we are reminded that we exist for the ultimate purpose of knowing Him and being known by Him. What an awesome blessing – that the Creator of the universe would be so imminent as to relate to us on an individual and daily basis.

Then, make sure you prioritize your life. We let a lot of things get in the way of what and WHO is really important in our lives. We often expend so much energy dealing with our responsibilities, routines, and requirements that we have little left for Jesus. A regular inventory of what is really important versus what is really happening in our life will help us reorder our priorities so that Jesus has the place of prominence in our lives.

Jesus is God’s gift to us . . . our lives are our gift to Him. Let’s give Him a Merry Christmas.