Now What?!

Christmas is over! The presents that crowded the base of the tree are now with their rightful owners. The Christmas parties and programs have come to an end. We've sang carols and hymns. We've dined on feasts and finished left the leftovers. Pretty soon all the decoration will come down and go back in storage for the next eleven months. To me the feeling is a bit like blowing up giant balloon with the anticipation and preparation of Christmas....and the day after is a bit like letting that balloon go and watching all the hot air jet out of it.

Christians are super adamant about keeping CHRIST in CHRISTmas during the holiday season. There are numerous Facebook posts, yard signs, and comments about the birth of Christ, Happy Birthday Jesus; On this night a Savior was born; We say Merry CHRISTmas. But what about the rest of the year? Does our faith follow the path of the holiday season and deflate like a released balloon. How can we continue the Christmas Spirit? How do we allow the finding and meeting of Jesus influence us the rest of the year?

1. Allow God to change our direction - Matthew 2:12
After seeing and worshiping Jesus, the wise men were unable to go back home the way they came. They had to go back a different way than they had arrived. God had changed their direction. There is something about meeting Jesus face to face for the first time that changes us. And if you haven't changed directions then you haven't REALLY met Him. This just isn't a one time thing. Once we meet AND follow Christ - He is constantly changing our ways to match His. Are you allowing Him to change your direction or are you still trying to go about life as you always have?

2. Fill your Heart and Meditate =- Luke 2:19
After giving birth to Jesus and listening to the shepherds, Luke says that Mary KEPT all these things in her heart and thought about them often. These thoughts would one day become a treasury that would sustain her while her son would be beaten and crucified. They became apart of Mary and were a reminder of her purpose. They also shaped the woman she would grow into. It is remembering our times in the presence of God that sustain us in the darker times and remind us who we really are. When was the last time you thought about your first encounter with Jesus Christ? Our thoughts shape who we become. Our thoughts direct our actions, our actions create habits, and our habits shape our character. What thoughts are you filling your heart with because a person brings up the good or bad that is stored there.

3. Praise God for what He has done - Luke 2: 20
We can't always stay "in that moment". You know the moment I'm talking about. The place where you sense God breathing on you, speaking to you, comforting you. There comes a time when you have to go back out. Go back to work and school. Go back to "life as we know it." The shepherds had to get back to their flock. But they just didn't go back to work. They went back glorifying and praising God for what they had seen and heard. One of the quickest ways to forget what God has done in your life is to STOP thanking Him for it.

Look at this season of your life...NOT just Christmas. So Now What?!

What are you doing with this Gift?

Are you still allowing Him to change your course and ways? How often are you thinking about Him and storing up His words in your heart? Are you still thankful for even the smallest of details in life?