“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:20

What do I do with a Christmas gift that I really appreciate? Do I store it on some closet shelf out of sight? Do I hide it in a drawer along with other odds and ends? Or do I use it? And when I use it, do I think of the giver Do I perhaps tell others about it? That’s what many in our world do with Jesus once Christmas is past. They take their annual look at the Savior and then store him away someplace as they go back to the business of the living. That’s not what the shepherds did as they left the Savior’s manger bed. I don’t know how long they celebrated Christ’s birth. I would guess their joyous response was ongoing. For me too! What better way to say thanks to God than by teaching my family to lay their sins on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God. Or to tell my neighbors about the friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. Or to help reach the unbelievers with Christ, the true and only Light. God’s precious Christmas gift of the Savior is something I need every day So do others in my world.

Thank you Lord, for your most practical and precious gift of the Savior. Amen.