Christmas is almost here, which means, for many of us, we’re thinking about presents – whether it’s presents you want for yourself or presents you need to buy for others. I’m not going to use this post to convict you of your sinful materialism or to get you to re-focus your energy on Jesus this X-mas (although both might be needed). What I do want to encourage you to do is to begin thinking now about how you can show the love of Jesus by doing something extra-special for someone in need this year.
It’s December 5th… which means that between now and X-mas you’ve got roughly 20 days that you can use to glorify God by…
1. Finding someone in need...
This could be someone poor, someone who's spending their first X-mas without a loved one, an elderly couple who is lonely or even sick, a college student away from their family, etc. If you have trouble try asking your pastor/minister or calling around to local charitable organizations.
2. Budgeting some extra $$$
Doing something extra-special doesn't mean being irresponsible. Furthermore if you don't budget you're more likely to cop-out or make excuses not to spend enough to really bless someone's heart. The amount of money you spend is not the point... it's how much you invest your heart into what you're going to do.
3. Figuring out the best way to show them the extraordinary love of Jesus
Here are some suggestions...
- Buy them a gift
- Take them to dinner and spend time with them
- Buy their family's presents for them
- Leave them cash anonymously
- Invite them to your family's Christmas celebration to be treated as part of the family
4. Letting others share in your joy of giving
Get someone to partner with you in your idea to help someone in need this Christmas. It's a great way to spread the joy of giving to others and also a great way to pool money to increase what you can do for someone else.
5. Planning out how to accomplish this
Planning is extremely important if you decide to do something like this. Don't make the mistake of copping out at the last minute or going back on your word because of poor planning. Some things you'll need to think about...
- How/when will you contact the family or individual?
- What are the times/dates you will do this for them?
- If you're cooperating with someone else who will be responsible for buying? Contacting?
- How can you ensure you follow through on your word?
This Christmas take some time to realize how rich you really are compared to most of the world. Even if you're a college student living in a dorm room you are more rich than 2/3 of the entire world many times over. God-centered living means taking every opportunity God gives you and asking... how can I use this to maximize God's glory? Christmas is a perfect time to do that by doing things for others they cannot repay you for. In this way you store up for yourselves treasure in heaven (Matt. 6:19-21, Luke 14:12-14).
(btw for those who are worried I’m taking the CHRIST out of CHRISTmas by abbreviating with X-mas… the Greek letter ‘chi’ [x] when capitalized and left alone is the Greek abbreviation for Christ which is transliterated ‘Christos’… ‘Ch’ standing for the Greek letter ‘X’)
