1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (NIV)
Unity and Diversity in the Body
"12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
To be better than others in all aspects is impossible with men. God made us unique outwardly and inwardly. He made us to need each other. Thus, striving to be a 'Better You' and NOT to be better than others is pleasing to God and should be everyone’s goal.
But to be a ‘Better You’ is not just merely improving everything you know that is bad of you. Many tried to change but they can’t. Why? Because Jesus said in John 15:5, “... apart from me you can do nothing!” It will be a tiring process to change because at the end, the only answer to a definite ‘Better You’, is to accept Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit to work in you.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new.”
Let’s ponder why Christmas is always celebrated on the last week of the last month of the year. It is because Christmas has something to do to face a New Year. New Year is not only writing the year changing that one last (usually) digit number. The most important is changing that One Number which is You, from your old self to become a ‘Better You’. St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:16, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.”
No longer human point of view means, Christmas is not only the celebration of Christ being born in a manger but should be a celebration of Christ being born in our hearts.
Think again. If we had celebrated Christmas the same way in a human point of view every year, if it is only about decorations, gifts, parties, foods, gathering of family and friends, then no changes from within will be expected from us. If there’s no rejoicing like; mentioning how blessed we are, that our Savior Jesus Christ was born to us, and no thanksgiving and praising being uttered by our lips to glorify GOD…, or how grateful we are, that HE sent His begotten Son to redeem us…, and made us new creations…, then those decoration banners of ‘Love, Peace, Hope, and Joy’ that you see everywhere around us, even the Christmas cards we sent, are still void at all.
The birth of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ in your hearts is the start of the Change Process; to being a 'Better You', and then towards to become a 'Perfect You'. If we failed to give importance to Jesus at Christmas, then this 'Better You' is surely impossible to take place..
Jesus Christ is The Good News of Great Joy for all people. He can only be born in our hearts, if we hear His words and let these words grow in us through our actions.
Luke 29-11 narrates;
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them (the shepherds), and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
The narration tells about how GOD sent the angel bringing the Good News of great joy for all people. The celebration of the multitude of heavenly host was done by praising and glorifying GOD. At the end, again, glorifying and praising continued through the shepherds (and then to us) who found the Good News to be true. That is Spiritual Christmas celebration!
Pondering the Good News of Christmas will not come to an end. This is the purpose of Christmas. Jesus Christ was born more than two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, in a manger. But every Christmas, we got the chance to reconcile with the Gift of GOD to us. Human as we are, we tend to forget that we are the recipients of the Good News of Salvation. Thanks be to GOD, we have Christmas every year to remember that GOD is giving us always the chance of reconciling with HIM through Jesus Christ, the chance to become ‘Better You’! Through that chance of reconciliation, GOD would recreate us again in His image allowing us to have that fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23), the Better Us.
Being a 'Better You’ happens only at Spiritual Christmas. But Spiritual Christmas, happens everyday; whenever we let Jesus Christ bears fruit in our hearts.
Jesus said in John 15:4-7, "4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
So brothers and sisters, let the Lord Jesus Christ remain in you, and surely a ‘Better You’ will come out of you, recreated by GOD, not only for this year but in the hope of Eternal life. AMEN.
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