The Heart of Christmas

Think you have a big shopping list? One woman certainly does! She chose to make Christmas extra special for 125 kids from a Boys and Girls Club in Florida. With funds raised through Facebook, she’s planning an “elaborate winter wonderland” party for the Club – complete with gifts for each child and staff member.

 That story really moves me…

In the hustle and bustle of the holiday, it’s easy to miss the heart of Christmas. Our enemy gets us sidetracked and knocks us off center to prevent us from worshipping Jesus Christ. We get robbed of peace – and filled with stress – in an effort to “DO” Christmas under pressure from the world.

Online Thanksgiving and Black Friday purchases totaled a whopping $7.9 billion. And, Cyber Monday racked up $6.59 billion. I wonder how much of that will be carried over in debt for 2018!

Remember what the heart of Christmas truly is – that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him would have eternal life. We celebrate Him.

Everywhere you look, there are people made in His image with a God-shaped void longing to be filled. Trials and pain are present in each one’s life.

This Christmas, why not give His love to those you love. You don’t need to spend any money to look in someone’s eyes and speak words of affirmation, to offer a prayer of blessing, to ask for forgiveness, or to touch someone who’s been rejected. Maybe you do throw a party and bless the lives of 125 children.

Whatever God lays upon your heart, do it in love.

One thing I’d ask you to prayerfully consider is to support Crown’s mission as the year comes to a close. Your support through prayer and giving will be multiplied in the year ahead, and will be matched dollar for dollar. And to thank you for your generosity, I’ll send you Total Life Stewardship, a brand new guide on becoming a better steward. Give generously today at crown.org.