Let me ask you a question. In this world, do you think Christmas is about giving or receiving? It’s totally about receiving, of course. But what about you? When it’s Christmas time, do you look forward to giving or receiving presents more? I’ve always loved giving, but who doesn’t like receiving?

I mean, we’re humans. We were born selfish. And we’re okay this way. It’s a natural part of our lifestyle, and we don’t need to change, right?

This is what Satan whispers to us, but that’s NOT how Christians should be. We are to take up our cross and deny ourselves. We are to put others’ needs above ourselves. We are to love our neighbors as we would love ourselves. We are to let go of our own wants. The Bible tells us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

I know that I’ve been incredibly blessed by my own blog. While that may sound really strange, whenever I’m tempted to do something, I am reminded not only by Scripture but also by my own words, my own posts. It gives me the determination to live out those words and to not just be a sayer but a doer. I have been blessed by giving all of you my blog!

And this year...well, I don’t feel the need for presents anymore. Every since truly understanding the truth that there are less than well-off kids out there who maybe haven’t even received a single present in their lives, well, I can’t bring myself to buy things for my own want as easily as before. It touches my heart when I hear about people who don’t even have food for tomorrow! How can I buy unnecessary things when I know there are people who could use it more than me? So now, every time I go shopping and see something I “need,” the Holy Spirit reminds me about the needier people out there. The twenty dollars I could spend on a cute sweater could instead be used to get food for someone who desperately needs it. Even the ten dollars I want to use to buy some random cool thingamabobby could give a needy child a toy or a new shirt! The Holy Spirit has really been driving me to look for the needs of others. And I don’t want this all to become talk- I want to find a ministry I can donate to and get plugged in.

This Christmas season, I challenge you to reach out. There’s always someone who’s going to be lost. There’s always someone who you can help. Jesus came down - as a baby into a manger surrounded by stinky shepherds and animals - to save me, to save you. He was humbled and He also died on a cross so that we could come into a relationship with God. Jesus was the Son of God, but nothing stopped Him from coming down to die for us. God loved us sooooo much that He would send His own Son to die on a cross for us! He is God and we are sinners! How significant is that! And because He did all that for you, you can surely spare a couple of minutes to reach out to someone! Jesus died for you...He gave you everything you own. God has given us so much and we should follow His example and be generous with what we have been blessed with.

And there are people who need to hear this story. Don’t you want them to know about Jesus? Don’t you want them to hear the beautiful gospel story- the real Christmas story? It is never too late to become a Christian! Forget the past - God still loves you! Start fresh! And the Christmas season is a perfect time to give the gift of Jesus...to share the gospel story with a lost soul. You can do this. God will always be with you. It will be nerve-wracking at first, but once you do it once, the next time will be easier, the next time even easier, and so on until it comes naturally. I hear you, I, too, have fears and am trying to tackle this faith-sharing obstacle, just like you (or most of you). God will give you strength and courage. This is important, and I want you all to know that I will be praying for you, I love you all, and with all of my heart, I hope you will take this bit of advice and reach out.

Because giving is much better than receiving.

Emma is a teen Christian blogger who strives to encourage and strengthen others. She’s been blogging for less than a year, but God has shown her many things through this blogging process. Some of her hobbies including volleyball, reading, blogging (of course), but hanging out with family and friends definitely beats all of the above.

First, selflessness. I know it's the season of giving, but with all the shopping and the advertisements screaming, buy me! or you need this! you really have to be intentional with your thoughts. I know I really struggle with coveting, especially during the holiday season. It only takes one look at social media or one TV ad, or one look at the passing storefront window to get your mind craving for that item. Maybe it's popularity. Maybe it's wanting to feel loved. Maybe it's a car. Maybe it's a new phone. Whatever it is, it can distract us and draw us away from the reason why we celebrate Christmas. I encourage you to do a heart check and find what you're truly focused on. Are you focusing on yourself or on others? Are you putting Jesus first, or your feelings first?

So for the second thing, I picked cheerfulness. Yes, most of the time people are happy during the holidays because of all the food, pretty lights and gifts, but what about after the holidays? Also, examine your hearts and ask yourself if you would still be cheerful if you had nothing. If you're only cheerful when everything is going well, is that truly cheerfulness? 

Lastly, it's important to be compassionate, especially during these months, because although many of us will be spending Christmas in a warm, cozy home with family, many are hungry and cold, and they need help - your help. You know that passage in the Bible where Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats? (If you haven't, you can read about it here.) Jesus tells us that "as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me" (Matt. 25:40). My church does an outreach called Toys for Joy, and it gives under-privileged families a chance to give their kids Christmas presents. It's amazing how many people donate toys and resources. Christmastime isn't the only time to show compassion. You can show it all year long. For me, compassion is one of my weaknesses. I have a bold, prideful, stubborn personality that can make it hard for me to sympathize with others, sometimes. It's one of those things that I have to continuously work at because if I don't, nothing will happen. In fact, my compassion would probably disappear if I didn't work at it and ask God for help. Exercising good habits is just like stretching a muscle. If you don't continuously stretch it, it can feel uncomfortable. But the more you do it, the more flexible you become. That goes for all three of these traits. You've got to actually practice these things daily in order to get used to showing them. Selflessness is a struggle for me as well. Like I said, I tend to have a prideful attitude. Selflessness sure is hard when you think about you first! In order to grow this trait, you have to say no to yourself and say yes to God. As for cheerfulness, that's a matter of thankfulness and contentedness.

There are twelve days until Christmas. I want you to pray for guidance from God on how to best prepare yourself for this season. Pray for selflessness, cheerfulness and compassion, especially. Those are definitely things the world needs more of and could benefit from. I know it can be hard to exercise these traits, but with Christ's strength, I also know you will be able to accomplish it. Have a blessed day, and stay tuned for upcoming 12 Days of Christmas 2017 posts!

Hey, guys! I'm starting a four-day series called Grateful to God leading up to Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for. I wanted to highlight four topics this week as we get in the mood for this American holiday. First things first: I'm titling this series Grateful to God because ultimately, God's the One Who is the Giver of all good things, as James 1:17 says:

It's important to remember that He is the source of everything we're grateful for. He created this beautiful world; the least we can do is show our gratitude. 

Today I want to highlight God's goodness. Without it, where would we be? First of all, there would not be grace. There would only be justice and that would result in all of us in hell, separated from Him forever. There are a lot of psalms that give thanks to God. Psalm 107:1 comes to mind for me.

This verse gives us two reasons to give thanks –one, because He is good and two, because His steadfast love endures forever. I'm so thankful that God is good and that He's so full of forgiveness and love. He gives me good things even though I definitely do not deserve it. Without His goodness, I would be so lost. I still don't always understand why He gives me grace when I'm so horrible, but I do know that it just makes me wanna praise and worship Him even more.

I'm thankful that, by God's goodness, I have a second chance every day. I'm grateful to God for His forgiveness.

I'm thankful that, by God's goodness, I have a personal relationship with Him. I'm grateful to God for His love.

I'm thankful that, by God's goodness, Christ lives in me and I don't need to get by by my goodness but by His. I'm grateful to God for salvation.

How has God blessed you with His goodness? Comment below!