So, now that Christmas, both here and in the rest of the world, including all of the “days” of Christmas, really is finally and officially over, the question can be asked – “Did you get what you wanted?”
Isn’t that the question you hear so often when you see friends after Christmas? Maybe that’s not really the best question. Maybe a better question would be, “Did you give of yourself in a way that reflected the light of Immanuel?” Jesus said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give” - Matthew 20:28.
How are you planning to live like Jesus in 2020? And, I’m not talking about what you’re planning to do with “your” money in the New Year. I take it as a given that all of us give, right? Surely you’ve already put together a budget plan that honors God first with the money He entrusts to you, right? That’s the easy part, right?
If we’re planning to live like Jesus in 2020 [another thing I am taking as a given for all of us, right?], the hard part is the serving part. What will you do in 2020 to serve the people in your life in the name of Jesus?
“A disciple is someone who has moved from being the recipient of The Church’s mission, to being responsible for The Church’s mission.” If that’s what a disciple is, I’m not sure I did very well in 2019. How about you?
But, behold! The Lord has blessed all of us with a New Year, and with a renewed sense of what He is calling us to do with our lives in 2020. May this be the year that we give, and the year that we serve, and the year that we become true disciples, responsible The Mission of The Church.
~Shepherd Ambrose Ramsey
