Christian Living

We just celebrated Christmas. We sang “Joy to the World!” as we should – joyfully! Hopefully, that joy remains, but with Christmas past, and a new year before us, what comes next? As always, we can look to Scripture to give us an example.

In the second chapter of Luke, we read the Christmas Story – the census that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem; Jesus’ birth and His being laid in the manger because there was no room at the inn; the angel revealing the good news to the shepherds; the shepherds running to see, and then glorifying and praising God.

Then, we read of Jesus being taken to the temple when he was 8 days old. Simeon and Anna were there and both recognized, by the Holy Spirit, that this baby was the Messiah.

The next specific thing we read about is a trip Jesus’ family took to Jerusalem for the Passover. After the feast, Joseph and Mary started home and unknowingly left Jesus behind. When they discovered He wasn’t with their relatives, they hurried back to Jerusalem. They found Him in the temple, talking with the teachers.

Mary confronted Jesus and asked why He had worried them so. Jesus replied: “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”Luke 2:49 NKJV

As we leave Christmas, 2011, behind and look forward into 2012, we can consider Jesus’ example recorded after the Christmas Story. We can “be about our Father’s business.”

I’m going to try something different this week. I’m not going to tell you what I think that means, but I’ll ask what you think. Please take a few seconds and leave a comment on how you think we should “be about our Father’s business” in 2012. As we get some comments (hopefully!), that should give us all more to think about.

When we see politicians on television news shows, their name is shown at the bottom of the screen so we will know who they are and where they’re from (“Representative so and so of this state” or “Senator whoever of that state”). There is usually a (D) or an (R) beside their name – meaning Democrat or Republican – to note their political party. Sometimes, we don’t need to see the D or R to know which party they’re in because they’ll be stating opinions and taking positions that are identified with a particular one. At times, they’ll be saying or doing things that will make the other people in their party wish that the D or R was not there so they wouldn’t be identified with them.

What if television stations started using a (C) after a person’s name to show they are a Christian? If the people in our life – our family, friends, co-workers, and the strangers we deal with along the way, were to see us on the television news giving a sound-bite, would there need to be a (C) after our name for them to know that we are a Christian? Or thinking the other way, if our actions and words were put on theTV screen and beside our name we did have a (C), would they be surprised to discover we are a Christian? Would other Christians wish we didn’t have the (C) there?

Whether we realize it or not, and whether we like it or not, our words and actions are clear signs to those around us. They show where our heart is, and what we base our life upon. As Christians, our words and actions should make it evident to others that we are basing our life on Jesus Christ. If we were to be seen on the news with a (C) beside our name, it shouldn’t be a surprise or regret to anyone. It would be even better if our faith is so clear that the (C) isn’t even necessary.

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” Ephesians 4:1 ESV