All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 Ed. (NASB95)

Christmas week is upon us, and the masses are either currently observing, or preparing to celebrate their holidays. Droves of people who don’t know the Lord are foolishly celebrating their physical health, wealth, and comforts while they head on the path to destruction. And oftentimes, these people can appear happier than Christians. Not only do unbelievers engage in worthless merry-making, but they also zealously engage in acts of charity and generosity that puts many Christians to shame. These things ought not to be!

Believers in the Lord Jesus ought to be the kindest, most generous, most loving, and most joyful people in the world. And I want to tell you why. During the holiday season especially, believers ought to abound in acts of love, charity, kindness, and joyfulness toward strangers and toward their spiritual families. Unfortunately, many believers fall into a devilish snare when they are so zealous to fight against compromise with unbiblical holiday practices, that they bring themselves into an attitude of sternness, ingratitude, and miserliness. The way to combat an unhealthy suspicion of things to do with Christmas is to see the good that the holiday promotes, and be the best at using that good to put Jesus on display.

Christmas Not the Issue, It’s Our Response to It

The purpose of this devotional isn’t to convince you that Christmas ought to be celebrated by Christians. It’s to show you that this holiday is one of the best opportunities that we believers have to demonstrate that Jesus is the true God, and that His good news is true and life-changing. And three main ways to do this is by abounding in good deeds to our neighbors, loving our spiritual family members, and by passionately rejoicing in the goodness of our Lord and Savior.

First, we ought to be people who show extraordinary kindness and goodwill toward all around us. We shouldn’t only do the good that’s expected of us, but the good that will most show the love of Jesus to others. If we simply obey His command that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves, then we’ll be able to do this. This goes as far as your everyday, fleeting, interactions with your unbelieving associates. Anyone you come across ought to be viewed as an image-bearer of God that needs to experience the kindness and grace of God. Thus, whenever you have an opportunity to meet some need of someone, you ought to do so. This mostly applies to your speech toward others.

In Colossians 4:5-6, Paul gives these instructions for believers:

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

This is a call to constant attention to what we intend to say to our neighbor, and careful choice of the best words to express our desire for their spiritual well-being.

Obviously, our goodwill for our non-Christian neighbor ought to mainly be aimed at their eternal salvation, but should extend to physical acts of kindness as well. We should be willing to give whatever we can to meet the needs we see in our neighbors. All physical things we have are a temporary stewardship from God, so we should carry it with a loose grip, and the readiness to give it wherever it’s needed. Instead of being selfish and ignoring the needs of our neighbor, we should just treat them how we want to be treated. This will not effect any means of salvation for them, but it will back up and confirm the truth of the gospel that we preach. We need to preach the gospel, but we also should be living examples of what God did through Jesus for His enemies.

Next, our social practices during this holiday season should also far outshine the love and devotion that non-Christians have for their own. Jesus told the apostles,

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn. 13:35)

It should be obvious that even natural, unbelieving, families have love for another, so this love must be a different kind. It’s the love that He had just required of them by saying, “love one another, even as I have loved you” (v. 34). In other words, the love that Christians are called to act out is the same love that Jesus demonstrated toward us. And what did He do? He gave up His very life for our ultimate good. This is precisely what we need to do. Our love for our brethren in Christ ought to be such that we are moved to give up whatever we need to in the effort to promote their service and knowledge of God. Put simply, believers are to treat their brethren as their eternal family members, with the same Father, affections, and goals as their own.

This doesn’t exclude the love that biological families have for each other, but our fellowship and activities shouldn’t be limited to our natural households. We should delight in, and give the most effort to, our gatherings with our local brethren, since that is the family that will last forever, and is being used to grow us, and announce the gospel. Our love for the brethren should be so great that our love for our unbelieving family members looks like hatred in comparison. That’s part of what Jesus meant when He said, “whoever does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Lk. 14:26). Let us outdo unbelievers’ holiday love for their families through our love for our own.

Finally, our joy and cheerfulness should be continual, appropriate, and expressive. During this season, non-Christians are often engaged in all manner of entertaining, pleasureable, and happy activities. However great the happiness they feel, it’s a lying illusion. Instead of rejoicing, they ought to “be wretched, and mourn, and weep,” since they’re condemned by their sins, and under God’s wrath.

On the other hand, believers in Jesus have every true reason to rejoice and be happy. We ought to be the most thankful, cheerful, and happy people in the world. Why? Because we have the certainty of God’s forgiveness, peace, and eternal life! More than that, even all our suffering is used by God to prepare us for heaven! So, when we celebrate anything, we can always do so knowing that it’s a blessing given to us by our loving heavenly Father. How much greater ought our celebration and thanksgiving be if we’re celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior! So, if you choose to celebrate this momentous event with other believers, rejoice with joy that’s inexpressible and full of glory! Express your joy by loving other people for whom God the Son became a man and died on the cross, and do it lavishly!

“Rejoice always; again, I say rejoice!” Do this by yourself and especially with your brethren in Christ. Most of all this holiday season, love and encourage the family of God in the teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer, and let this manifestation of Christ’s glory motivate you to preach the gospel to poor, blind, naked, and dead sinners. Jesus has come to remove our sins, and is soon coming again to bring perfect righteousness!