Theme:   Five Things I Don't Want to Miss this Christmas

This eDevotional was written by a volunteer from Timberlake Church. 

Read: Matthew 3:12; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Revelations 20: 4

Think: Have you ever purchased the same purse as your best friend?  Gone to the same restaurant that everyone from work goes to?  Laughed at the offensive joke that your classmate just told? I’ve done a few of these and that doesn’t mean I am a sinner and going to hell, but when Pastor Nick talked about “The opportunity to live in contrast” it started me thinking.  When was the last time I stood out because of my faith rather than going with the crowd?

For me, I have always struggled with needing to “fit in” with others and have always felt it was a stumbling block for me. But I loved what Nick said about not living your life for the acceptance of others but for the acceptance of Christ!  If done correctly, doing so will show us living in contrast with people who don’t follow Christ. Matthew 3:12 says, “He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

Another biblical example is Christians should not be unequally yoked – we aren’t to marry someone who isn’t  a believer in Christ as described in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

Last example is the always warm and fuzzy Revelations 20: 4, “…they had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

We aren’t supposed to be weird or judgmental, but when we truly live a life that reflects Christ we should stand out in a crowd… We should look different (in a good way) from the world around us. Oftentimes it’s when people see us living differently that they become attracted to the thing – or the PERSON in this case – that makes us different… Jesus!

Do: Live life as a walking billboard for Christ every day.  When we make mistakes, ask for his forgiveness and jump back in living for him right away.

Pray: Dear Lord, I pray that you will allow me to ‘Live in Contrast’ for you and that my everyday actions, words and thoughts exhibit the love of Jesus Christ in all that I do. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.