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Four Ways to Honor Christ’s Birthday Celebration

A Fitting Celebration for Christ

With this in mind, let’s not be like those attending the party for Jesse. Let’s emulate the Magi. Here are four recommendations:

1. Remember it is someone’s birthday – Don’t let gift wrapping, jingle bells, Rudolph, Frosty or Santa and his friends draw you away from the purpose of the celebration. Let’s stay focused with laser precision on the purpose of this Christ mass (the worship of Christ).

2. Remember whose birthday it is – While Christmas is as good a time as any to express your love for friends and family by giving gifts of thoughtful appreciation, let’s focus our best and primary giving on the One whose birthday we celebrate. I often make this challenge: “Give more to the Christ of Christmas than you give in sum total to others. He is worthy of our all.”

3. Remember what He wants for His birthday – We’ve all felt the frustration of not knowing what gift to buy for someone we care about. So what do we give Jesus, the creator and owner of all things? The Bible is clear as to what He wants. He wants our hearts, our worship and our undivided love.

Our sacrificial giving should also be consistent with the focus of Christ’s affection. The Bible says, “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” The church is described as His very “body.” Let your best and biggest gifts to Him be offered to the cause and the people He loves—His church and its mission in this world.

4. Remember to give gifts fitting for a King– If Rosemary and I were invited to the Governor’s Mansion and asked to bring a thoughtful present to the highest ranking official in our state, we would give a lot of care to the selection and presentation of our gift. We always want our thoughtfulness and sacrifice to be worthy of the recipient.

This Christmas, let your giving to the Lord be a real act of thoughtful, sacrificial worship. Let your best sacrifice declare, “Happy Birthday, King Jesus! You are worthy!”

As a result, He will be honored on His birthday, just as the celebration demands. You will feel His pleasure with your gift. And, this just might be the best Christmas you’ve ever commemorated as you do it in the right way, for the right reason and for the right Person.

This article originally appeared here.

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As a lead pastor for nearly three decades, Daniel Henderson helped several congregations experience transformation and renewal through an extraordinary commitment to prayer. Daniel now serves as founder and president of Strategic Renewal and is the national director for The 6.4 Fellowship. As a “pastor to pastors,“ he leads renewal experiences in local churches, speaks in a variety of leadership conferences, and coaches pastors across North America and beyond. Daniel is the author of over a dozen books, including, Old Paths, New Power: Awakening Your Church Through Prayer and the Ministry of The Word, Transforming Prayer: How Everything Changes When You Seek God’s Face, Transforming Presence: How The Holy Spirit Changes Everything - From The Inside Out, and Glorious Finish: Keeping Your Eye on the Prize of Eternity in a Time of Pastoral Failings.