This time of year can begin a season of letdown for many. For most, the Christmas rush is through. All the buildup, and now it is over. We have New Years to look forward to, but what is after that? The Christmas spirit seems to begin to fade away as the cold sets in and we encounter folks who seem grumpy. We wish we could bottle that joy up and use it throughout the year. The fact is we can and should.
I went to the teen progressive dinner and did their devotional thought. I talked to them about the fact that we should not be bound by a season of giving, kindness, gratitude, etc. As Christians Jesus sets the example of how we should live our lives every day (Acts 10:38). God is the great giver and so we give as well (John 3:16). I realize we will encounter people who are no longer in the “holiday spirit” and might scold us for being so cheerful. But that is what we are called to be: light in a dark world (Matthew 5:14-16).
We have to stop finding all of our joy in the things of this world. We can and should be thankful for the physical blessings God provides for us down here, but we have to understand that these physical things are temporary. It is easy to forget that fact (Matthew 6:19-24). I remember Paul and Silas in prison singing in Acts 15 when I talk about this subject. How could they sing? Because they found their joy in Jesus. In this world things come and go, seasons change, situations and circumstance rarely stay the same, so we must put our hope and faith in Jesus.
A final thought about this coming season is that we do have something wonderful to look forward to and that is the return of Jesus (2 Peter 3). I know he has not come back yet, and sometimes it can seem like He never will. But God is faithful to His promises, and Jesus promised to come back (John 14:1-3).