Have you ever considered everything Joseph and Mary sacrificed in obedience to God's plan? A lot of worship happened after Jesus was born: Shepherd, relatives, wise men from the East. However, before that famous worship was possible, surrender was necessary. In our modern American context, worship is thought of as purely the musical portion of our gatherings. In nearly every story from Scripture that we find people worshipping, we also see people sacrificing. What might God be asking you to surrender to him this Christmas season?

Have you ever been so excited about gathering for worship that you just couldn't wait till Sunday? Most people probably haven't felt that way either. Did you know that Scripture tells us that we should have that kind of anticipation about worshipping God. Many times the circumstances of life distract us from having a proper posture of worship. The author of Psalm 95 shows us that God deserves our attention, thanksgiving, and adoration. This Christmas season could be just the opportunity we need to bow down and worship God with all we are.

At some point in history, the church lost sight of what it truly means to be used by God. When looking back at the men and women of Scripture, along with the men and women of history, there is a common thread in their stories. More times than not, each of them suffered greatly for the cause of Christ. Today however, many Christians equate suffering with failure. We see it as either something we've failed to do, of God's failure to move on our behalf. A pattern seems to have formed in the lives of those who followed Christ closest. This pattern can be observed in the final supper Jesus shared with his disciples prior to his arrest and crucifixion.

In order for the church to be unified in the way Christ desires, we must humbly serve and value each other. As Paul concludes his letter to the believers in Rome, he thanks and recognizes a number of people who have been instrumental the spread of the Gospel. Among this list he names many women. Prior to the teachings of Jesus, women had almost zero status or value worldwide. Christ and his followers lifted up the teachings of Jesus of unity and equality in the Kingdom of God. Only with this understanding can the church be unified.

The primary characteristic of a Christ-follower is service to others. The purpose of creation is to glorify God; and the most powerful way to glorify God is humble service to others. Paul illustrates this principle in Romans 15 as he lays out the example Jesus set for all of us. In order to glorify His Father in Heaven, Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. If we claim to follow Christ, we must be intentionally and consistently serving others.

Personal holiness is a process that is unique to every person following Christ. Even in the first century church people struggled to know how to handle new believers; or as Paul calls them in Romans 14, the weak in faith. For far too long churches have expected people to look, talk, and act a certain way if they were truly saved. In reality, sanctification is a life-long process of becoming less like the world, and more like Jesus. What we need to focus on is not the actions of the person, but the heart of the servant. We're called to unity in the church, and our mission is to take the Christ's message of forgiveness and unity to the world around us.

For every living person there is a gap between what we believe and how we behave. Sadly, many Christians are far too comfortable with this gap. The life of a Christ-follower must be an ever-changing, self-denying, Jesus-centered change in our lives. This gap is never more apparent than when our opinions and preferences come into conflict with God's Word and work in this world. Our belief and trust in God's sovereignty is put on display in our humble behavior in the world. The default action for a Christian is humility and submission.

What does being in relationship with Jesus really look like? If your definition of a Christ-follower is based on the people with whom you go to church, you may have a tough time finding a definitive answer for the previous question. Thankfully, through the Apostle Paul in chapter twelve of his letter to the Romans, we have clear expectations and descriptions of what the life of a believer should in fact look like. For many of us, the problem we face isn't living up to God's expectations; it's letting go of control and ownership of our lives.

Romans 11 tells us that one day the Jewish people will in fact embrace Jesus as Messiah and be saved. We also see that the work of the Gospel among Gentiles will play a part in that great revival. However, we can get hung up trying to figure out how exactly God is going to do this great work. Instead, we should be reminded of our great need for salvation. The message of the Gospel is that through His Son, Jesus Christ, God is glorifying Himself by redeeming us. We're so familiar with that story that we've become comfortable in our sin. It's time we wholeheartedly repent, recognizing our need for a Savior, and give God the glory He is due.

Good news isn't good until those who need to hear it are told. Paul clarified in chapter nine of Romans that God is at work to redeem his children. However, God has included us in that work. For most western Christians, there is an underlying passivity to our Christianity. Many of us assume that someone else (qualified, called, etc) will do the work of sharing the Gospel with those who do not yet know the truth about Jesus. We see in chapter ten of Romans that every single Christian is called. Each of us should be declaring the good news of salvation to anyone God places in our paths. In the event that there isn't anyone in our lives that doesn't know the Gospel, we should go to the places and the people who have yet to hear that Jesus is our Savior.