How to Respond to Christmas

We typically celebrate Christmas with gifts, feasts, get-togethers, caroling, decorations, remembering the Christmas story, etc.  And these traditions are great!  But there's a proper way to respond to Christmas that we must not neglect, and we can learn it from the shepherds on that first Christmas morning.

ONE:  Hurry to Jesus for salvation.  After the angels told the shepherds about the newborn Savior, the shepherds hurried to get to Jesus (Lk 2:15-16).  Christmas is all about God sending Jesus to save us from our sins, and our proper response is to hurry to Jesus to receive salvation.  We must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus as God's payment for our sins.

TWO:  Herald the gospel of Jesus to everyone you know.  After seeing the newborn king, the shepherds reported the message they were told about the child (Lk 2:17).  That's exactly what we should do once we understand and experience the true meaning of Christmas.  We must share the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone we know.

THREE:  Honor Jesus with your life.  When the shepherds returned to their fields, they glorified and praised God (Lk 2:20).  The proper response to Christmas is to honor God.  This is what you do when some is especially kind to you -- honor them.  Because of Christ's sacrifice for us, we should honor and glorify Him.  What does it mean to glorify Jesus?

• Praise and thank Him.  
• Give Him all the credit for your salvation, and for everything good in your life.
• Lead others to have a higher opinion of God.
• Imitate His character.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year because it represents the most wonderful event in human history -- the birth of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.  In memory of this great event, we must hurry to Jesus for salvation, herald His gospel to the world, and honor Him with our lives.