Day 10

What is your favorite ornament on your Christmas tree? Why is it your favorite?

Christmas trees are wonderful by themselves. Adding lights to the tree makes it even better. Adding ornaments to the tree makes it spectacular! Ornaments decorate or adorn the tree, that is, ornaments make the tree even more eye-catching and attractive.

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to a young pastor named Titus. Paul told Titus to teach the people of his church how to live to please Jesus ‘so that in everything they may adorn the (teaching) of God our Savior’ (Titus 2:10). Just as ornaments make a Christmas tree more attractive, you can be a living ornament of the Gospel (The word ‘Gospel’ means the Good News of Jesus).

Jesus not only loves and forgives us; He also gives us the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus. As we become more like Jesus, we make the Gospel beautiful. For example, imagine a person who has a short-temper and gets angry quickly. When he doesn’t get his way, he yells, says unkind things, treats others meanly, and doesn’t say he’s sorry to those he hurts.

However, the man comes to believe in Jesus and works with the Holy Spirit to sin less and obey Jesus’ teaching. Over time, he becomes less angry and more kind, patient, and loving. If he gets angry with someone, he apologizes and asks the person to forgive him. People notice the changes and know Jesus is changing him. He is becoming an ornament for others to see the beauty of Jesus.

We too can be ornaments to the Gospel and attract people to Jesus as they notice how He changes us and causes us to do good to others. Jesus also said, ‘let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.’