Enjoying the Christmas season with the peace and joy God wants us to have takes effort. We can know that our desire to be godly during these days is an effort God will reward. 

If we want to experience the holiness of this season, we simply need to allow Paul’s words to the Ephesians to be our great advice for these days. We shouldn’t be running around trying to do everything that seems important. If we do, we will likely miss what God has told us is important.

There is an amazing power that has been invested into each Christian’s life. When we received God’s Holy Spirit, we received the person and power of his character. First John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.” When Christians are yielded to God’s Spirit, we are filled with God’s character. And God is love.

Paul told the Ephesians, and each of us, to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” If we were standing with Christ each day, how would he feel about our patience with others? If we were seeing people with the compassion of Christ, how would our thoughts and actions change? Paul told the church to “walk in love, as Christ loved.” That is the goal we should set for this Christmas season and every day that follows.

We can walk in the love of Christ if we will walk with the Spirit of Christ. Jesus sacrificed his life so that we could live filled with the character of God, the character that is love. Our effort isn’t to love others; it is to rely on the power of God’s love within us and give his love to others. 

Jesus became a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Now, through his Spirit, we can carry the fragrance of Christ to those we meet as our sacrificial service to God. We can see others and love them as Jesus would. That can be our Christmas gift to the One who gave everything to us.

Wisdom is understanding that the gift of Jesus is our treasure. We are greatly blessed. May the love of Jesus be the treasure we share with others.