THIS CHRISTMAS

Happy December, BASIC fam!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… or maybe it’s not.

Maybe there’s an empty seat at the dinner table where a loved one once sat and you’re trying to suppress the memory, fight back the tears and plaster a smile on your face just to get through the meal.

Maybe there’s an expectation on you to finish your degree with honors, get a job, or to have already found the perfect significant other, and you’re just doing your best to avoid those pressuring questions.

Maybe there’s tension in your family, and it’s all you can do to get through a visit with them without an argument beginning to fuse.

Maybe you’re just simply feeling the pressure to have the Pinterest perfect décor, meal, and gift-wrap to impress your friends and family.

Even still, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere we go.

We’ve prepared by decorating our houses, dorms and apartments… We’ve decked the halls, put up the tree, listened to Christmas music, and wrapped all of the gifts we bought to give to our friends and family.

The malls are decorated, houses are covered in lights, and even the coffee shop I’m sitting in as I write this is covered head to toe in Christmas décor.

But now that our homes, the neighborhoods and the businesses are prepared for Christmas, it’s important to also prepare our hearts for the season as well. Christmas truly is the most joyful time of the year, but if we search for it in all the wrong places, we end up missing out on the peace and joy that the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior should bring. Here are 14 scriptures (since there are only 14 days left until Christmas!!!) to help you feel merry and bright during the holiday season.

1. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel, (which means “God with us”).” Matthew 1:23; Thank God that He sent His son to redeem us and give us hope for the future!
2. “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:6-7; Try not to be distracted by the holiday festivities or the stresses that might come along with the holidays, but instead, focus your heart and mind on what Christmas is all about: Jesus.
3. “All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:18-19; Pray for a heart as bold as Mary’s that treasures the meaning and importance of the season.
4. “And suddenly they appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men.” Luke 2:13-14; Jesus came to make the darkness tremble and to bring us a peace that only He could give.
5. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Luke 2:17-18; The shepherds were so excited about Jesus’s birth, they couldn’t hold it in! Their eagerness should be an encouragement to us to boldly share the importance of the birth of Jesus with others.
6. “And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – Holy is His name.” Luke 1:46-49; Take a moment to thank God for all He has done, and is going to do in and through your life as you continue to serve Him.
7. “There was also a prophet, Anna…she never left the temple but worshiped day and night, fasting and praying. Coming up to them (Mary, Joseph and Jesus), she gave thanks to God and spoke about eh child to all who were thinking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Continue worshipping Jesus wholeheartedly in every circumstance, even while you’re still waiting for Him to come through.
8. “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10-11; Jesus is the embodiment of joy. If you know Him, you will know true joy.
9. “John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 3:1; Prepare your hearts by yielding your heart to Christ and asking for His forgiveness of your sins.
10.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23; God gave us the greatest gift of all at Christmas: salvation through Jesus!
11. “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jesus is mighty, everlasting, righteous, just, our counselor, and our provider of peace.
12. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14; Thank Jesus that He came to earth in human form, yet still totally God, and full of glory, grace and truth.
13. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6; Thank God that Jesus came to save us and to be our way, truth and life!
14. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22; Pray that your heart and home is filled with all the fruits of the Spirit during this season, and every season.

Make this Christmas a special one. Be intentional about spending time with Jesus, celebrating and thanking Him in everything you do. Dive into scripture, read the story of Christmas (mostly found in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2) and in case you didn’t hear, oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year.