“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thess 3:5)

Are you glad Christmas is over?

The day after Christmas, a pastor stopped into a big department store to purchase something he needed. He struck up a conversation with the manager who happened to be helping him, and he said, “Are you glad Christmas is over?” And the manager replied, “Well no, because it’s my job to remove every trace of Christmas in the entire store until the next holiday season, and that’s a daunting job.” The pastor said, “My job is the exact opposite: to keep Christmas strong in the hearts of my congregation for the entire year, and that too is a daunting job.”

Yes, it’s definitely hard for that pastor to keep Christmas in the hearts of his congregation once all the holiday reminders, such as decorated trees in every window, wreathes on doors, carols playing everywhere, and the colored lights on buildings suddenly disappear. Once gone, it all goes away quickly.

Remaining steadfast in Christ

I heard about a child who fell out of bed in the middle of the night. His parents asked him what happened. And he said sleepily, “I must have stayed too close to where I got in.” That’s a picture of what happens to a new believer who fails to grow. They will eventually become weak, lukewarm, and fall away if they don’t grow by surrounding themselves with the things that will move them forward and focus on Christ, like Bible study, spending time in prayer, attending a Christ-centered church, and fellowshipping with other Christians.

Therefore

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV)

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9 ESV) 

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Heb. 3:14)