Day 26: Another Way

We have studied the story of the birth of Jesus and thought about ways that the significance of that story can change our lives.  There were those that interacted with the story of the Christ Child were changed - Mary and Joseph, certainly, as well as the shepherds and the wise men.  I wanted to concentrate on Matthew chapter 2 today as we zero in on that story of the Magi from the East visiting Jesus:
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Here's another instance of worship in the Christmas narrative, but I wanted to key in on the last two words of verse 12:  they went back to their country another way.  Now, please allow me a bit of latitude here, because I really do think that when we have an true, authentic encounter with Jesus, the living Lord, our lives will never be the same.  And that concept of another way is not my unique idea; do a Google search and you'll find sermons to that effect.

But to play off that idea: During the Christmas season, we have commemorated His birth; now we can allow Him to continue His work of changing us more into His image; so that we walk "another way," in other words, with a clearer picture of Him, a deeper devotion to doing His will, and a greater measure of His Spirit controlling us.

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Earlier, I had read from Matthew chapter 2, which speaks of the wise men coming to visit Jesus and His family.  They brought Him "treasures" and worshiped Him.  They also departed for their home country by another route.  

I want to continue to camp out on this concept of how Jesus changes us - once we have come into relationship with Him, and as we fellowship and encounter Him, we continue a process of change - a 

process that takes us from "glory to glory." That's the idea we find in 2nd Corinthians 3:

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We have been taken out of the realm of darkness and brought into His light.  We deserved spiritual death, but we now have Christ's life.   Because we have received Christ into our hearts, we now have entered a life of love rather than selfishness, or giving rather than receiving for ourselves.

There was a young boy whose story can inspire us on our faith journey.  Mikah Frye is from Beechwood, Ohio.  He was anticipating receiving a rather valuable gift for Christmas, according to a story on the ChristianHeadlines.com website.  The story says:

Mikah knew his parents were going to get him an Xbox for Christmas--a $300 gift which he was excited to receive, but then he noticed that there were homeless people in his town who were in need, so he decided to give up his Christmas gift to help them.

According to TheBlaze.com, Mikah told his family that he wanted to use the $300 to buy blankets for those who were homeless. Mikah and his family were able to buy 30 blankets to give to those in need this Christmas.

Now, that's a wonderful story - but, it's not over, and I think this next part can be instructive as we seek to be effective witnesses for Christ.  Our acts of selflessness can sometimes attract attention.

The article continues:

Mikah also learned that often, when you selflessly give, not expecting something in return, you are blessed unexpectedly.

Microsoft, which manufactures Xboxes, heard about Mikah’s sacrificial decision and planned to also spread some Christmas cheer.

The company arranged a surprise for Mikah at a local shopping mall - he went there and Santa gave him two bags of gifts, including an Xbox.

According to the article, Mikah's mother had said their family had experienced the loss of a home within the past year, so the boy certainly gave out of a "place of genuine understanding."

I think there are several key elements that emerge from this story.  For one thing, Mikah had developed compassion for the plight of homeless people.  Because we have been loved by Christ, we have His spirit of compassion that resides in our hearts.  We are called to be people of compassion rather than selfishness.

That compassion yielded a spirit of commitment.  Buying 30 blankets for people in need outweighed the importance of the Xbox.  Something we can remember is that when we grow in Christ and in His love for us, He releases compassion in our hearts, and we can be committed to making an impact in His name.  We, as recipients of Christ's sacrifice, can be committed to ministering to others.

Also, there is an effective communication of our message as we are generous toward other people. If we want the culture to see who Christ is, then we can take practical steps to behave like Him.  Our willingness to allow Christ to live through us results in a testimony to the world that can draw people to Him - as Jesus said, if He is lifted up, He will draw people to Himself.

Finally, we can be challenged to allow Christ to change us.  As we have surrendered to Him and come before Him in worship, we can, like the wise men, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and we can depart "another way."