Your Daily Devotional for December 21, 2006

 

December 21, 2006

 

 

Worshipping Christ
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
Matthew 2:10-11

A few days before Christmas, two men in Florida decided to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. While the men were out sailing a terrible storm arose. They had great difficulty keeping the boat under control, and as they maneuvered their way back to land their boat became grounded on a sandbar. They had to jump overboard and push with all their might to get the boat into deeper water. As they did, the wind was blowing terribly, the waves were rushing up on them, and they were soaking wet and knee deep in mud. One of the guys looked at his buddy and said, "You know, this sure beats Christmas shopping."

While many view Christmas as a time for shopping, we must keep in mind that Christmas is not all about shopping and buying things but about worshipping God and thanking Him for sending His Son to die on Calvary for us.

The shepherds, who came soon after Christ’s birth, sang praises and worshipped Him. The Bible tells us that when the wise men came to Christ, they fell down and worshipped Him and presented unto Him gifts. They understood the magnitude of this occasion and immediately praised and worshipped Christ.

The word worship means to "ascribe worth toward." There are many different ways to worship Christ. One way is by singing. Luke 2:13-14 says, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Even the angels as they were announcing the birth of Jesus were singing praises to God!

Another way we can worship Christ is by serving Him. God is pleased when we serve Him. Our service to Him shows our love for Him. So how can you serve Him this holiday season? Maybe you know of someone who will be alone this Christmas and you could take time out of your schedule to visit that person. Christ says in Matthew 25:40, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." When we serve others, we are serving Christ!

We can also worship Christ by giving to Him. When the wise men came to greet Jesus, they brought Him gifts. After unwrapping all of her presents, a little girl was asked, "Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?" She thought a moment and said, "No. But then, it’s not my birthday."

Don’t forget that Christmas is in celebration of Christ’s birthday! Take time this holiday season to worship Him through singing praise, serving, and giving to Him.

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