7 PURPOSEFUL WAYS TO MAKE CHRIST THE CENTER OF YOUR CHRISTMAS!

The number one way to keep Jesus Christ in your Christmas celebrations is to have him present in your daily life. If you have already accepted Jesus as your Savior and have made him the center of your life, keeping Christ at Christmas is more about the way you live your life than about the things you say, such as "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" . Keeping Christ at Christmas means revealing daily the character, love and spirit of Christ that dwells in you, by allowing these traits to shine through your actions. These are simple ways to keep Christ as the central focus of your life this holiday season. 10 ways to keep Christ at Christmas: 1) Give God a very special gift just for you. Let this gift be something personal that no one else should know and that is a sacrifice. David said in 2 Samuel 24 that he would not offer a sacrifice to God that would not cost him anything. Perhaps his gift to God is to forgive someone who has needed to forgive for a long time. You may discover that you have returned a gift. Lewis B. Smedes wrote in his book, Forgive and forget: "When you liberate the evil one from evil, you cut a malignant tumor from your inner life, free a prisoner, but you discover that the true prisoner was yourself." Maybe your gift is to commit to spending time with God daily. Or maybe there is something that God has asked you to give up. Make this your most important gift of the season. Births related to crafts. 2) Plan a goodwill project this Christmas. A few years ago, my family adopted a single mother for Christmas. He could barely make ends meet and had no money to buy gifts for his little son. Together with my husband's family, we buy gifts for the mother and daughter and replace their broken washing machine in the week of Christmas. Do you have an elderly neighbor who needs repairs at home or work in the garden? Find someone with a genuine need, involve your whole family and see how happy you can be this Christmas. The best Christmas charity projects. 3) Take a group of carols in a nursing home or in a children's hospital. One year, the staff from the office where I worked decided to incorporate the carols in a nursing home near our annual plans for the staff's Christmas party. We met in the nursing home and toured the facilities singing Christmas carols. Then, we headed back to our party with our hearts full of tenderness. It was the best Christmas party of the staff that we have had. 4) Give a surprise gift of service to each member of your family. Jesus taught us to serve by washing the disciples' feet. He also taught us that it is "more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35 (NIV) Giving an unexpected gift of service to family members demonstrates a love and service similar to Christ's. You might consider giving your spouse a back massage, writing a message for your brother or cleaning a closet for your mother. Make it personal and meaningful, and watch the blessings multiply. 5) Reserve a time of family devotions on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning. Before opening the gifts, take a few minutes to gather as a family in prayer and devotions. Read some verses of the Bible and discuss as a family the true meaning of Christmas. Verses of the Christmas bible Prayers and Christmas poems. The Christmas story Christmas devotionals

6) Attend a Christmas church service together with your family. If you are alone this Christmas or do not have a family that lives near you, invite a friend or neighbor to join you. 7) Send Christmas cards that convey a spiritual message. This is an easy way to share your faith in Christmas. If you have already bought the reindeer cards, no problem! Just write a Bible verse and include a personal message with each card.