Christmas has come and gone, so now what? Maybe you find yourself holding on to the last few days of Christmas break before re-entering “reality.” For many, reality has already hit with the return of work and the challenges of closing out one year and beginning another. It will probably take a little while to recover from some of the common holiday stresses like family, weight gain and the expenses of the season. Wow, sounds like we need a break from Christmas!
This Christmas and new year many of us made a commitment, a resolution if you will, to not let 2018 be the same as 2017 in some way – to eat healthy, to exercise more, to find a different job, to stick to our budgets, to improve relationships, or to be more resolve with our faith. Often times the best way forward is to look back. The first Christmas and the results that came from it are a powerful help as we look for results in our lives after this Christmas.
In the days, weeks and years after the first Christmas we see people of all types and with differing challenges come to see One who was born in a manger. Immediately the shepherds come to mind as they heard of the Christ and then went and told others what they had seen. The Magi, non-Jews, of course, came from the East to see the King of the Jews, only to find He was born for them, too!
This story is retold over and over throughout the life of Christ and even more so since His death and resurrection. “Come and see” transforms into “Go and live free” in the presence of the One born in the manger, the Savior of the whole world, our Lord Jesus the Christ.
Why doesn’t this transformation happen more easily like it does in the Bible? Well, the transitions are never easy, but we are also easily fooled into staying away from God with certain things because they aren’t “spiritual.” This isn’t the truth. Every battle is a spiritual battle. If not, why can’t we just make the change happen? The evil one is lurking, seeking to devour and attack in our times of weakness. Whatever challenges are already piling up for you, whatever resolution you’ve already failed to keep this week, whatever the goals are you have for 2018, have you considered seeing Christ in them?
“Come and see” what God has done so we can “go and live free” in Him! He will not only give us the power to transform but will cause us to be transformed. This is living! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Corinthians 5:17
