Live Christmas

Rightly celebrated, Christmas is a lifestyle.  The love that descended from heaven to humanity desires to be our dwelling place.  Love embodies faith and submitted obedience.  A life lived in love wholly trusts in Jesus Christ and desires to obey the will of God.  Our Bible journey continues with words from the disciple who described himself as the ‘one Jesus loved.’  I believe with all my heart, John called himself that not in a puffed up way but with total awe that the King of Kings, the Creator of all, the Sovereign Holy One LOVED him.  When we live in love like John, we enjoy the transformation God intends:  that Love transforms us into the image of Christ! 

 

 

Living in love has integrity.  Our words flow out of a loving heart, and our actions match our words.  Body, soul and spirit entwine within Love.  Scripture calls us to that lifestyle—and to supporting others in that lifestyle.  It also tells us to not invite unholiness into that bond. 

 Living in love has substance.  That which we have faith in becomes visible through the way we live our lives.  Living in love reveals the One who is love.  Human love is beautiful and can do great things.  The boundaries of human love reveal themselves eventually; they include self-love, self-protection, self-pleasing and self-promotion.  Jesus Christ modeled divine love; it is self-sacrificing, transformational and victorious.

 The Word moves from John speaking of revealing God with our lives to the ‘Revelation’ of God he received ‘in the Spirit.’  I spend far too much time ‘in the soul’ and not enough wholly immersed in the Spirit.  Settle on that passage for a few minutes (Revelation 1).  John ‘saw’ the voice.  Phew.  That quiet voice that humbly allows us to ignore Him is glorious.  So glorious, John fainted.  John who had walked with Jesus on the earth, who had served him with all his heart…passed out when in His presence.  As you think of that, remember:  He loves YOU! 

As this year closes, let us commit to letting that love change us…transform us and our world!