more Christ

Christmas Reflections

I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 New King James Version).

This verse has been traversing the coils and curves of my brain, penetrating itself deep into my sub-consciousness, as only Scripture can. Over the course of my life, I have always heard the latter part repeated in the context of giving sacrificial gifts or monetary offerings. While I believe gifts such as these are wonderful, I also believe there is a greater gift we can offer.

I am linguistically challenged; my family knows this and will often stump me by throwing a Spanish word into conversation. Lately, though, I have been thinking about the Spanish word for “more”, which is “mas”. Contemplating this, Christmas has come to mean, to me, “more Christ”, or “Christ more.” This year, my desire is to give more of Christ to others. What does this look like? At the moment of this writing, I have not fully defined it; however, as situations present themselves, the opportunity to give more Christ to others will be revealed.

You see, for me, since I have received Christ as my savior, it is better for me to give more of Him to others who don’t know Him. Looking at the complete verse in Acts, we are told to support the weak and remember the words of Jesus. As I move through this Christmas season and into the New Year, my hope and prayer is to bring more Christ into every area of my life – work, school, ministry, and family – to support those who are weak.

As He is the sustainer of my life, not only am I compelled to share Christ with others, I must also receive more of Him.  The ability to minister to others means I, myself, must be filled with Him in order to recognize the opportunities He presents to me.  Only then, will I be able to fully understand the blessing of giving.

May this Christmas season leave you with a sense of God’s peace, His presence, and a taste for more Christ!

Merry Christmas, or rather, Merry More Christ!

Shalom,

Prudence