During the Christmas season, people focus on the important things in life—family, giving service, sharing gifts, being kind and considerate, and looking one after the other. What would the world look like if people around the world focusrd on these important things throughout the year? Would the joy and excitement of the Christmas season thrive every day regardless of the season?

Jesus Christ must rejoice during Christmas because many people remember His birth, life and Atonement. But what He truly wants is for us to remember Him always throughout the year. He wants us to keep the Christmas spirit, which is Christ’s spirit, in our lives. He wants us to continue to be a little kinder and more forgiving each day. He wants the joy we feel during Christmas to stretch until the next Christmas season. He wants the hope of His coming and Atonement be ever-present in our lives.

When we reflect on why the Christmas season is the most wonderful time of the year, we must conclude that it’s because of people giving of themselves to others—they are more compassionate and considerate, serve more, treat others with greater kindness, focus more on the Savior Jesus Christ, count their blessings, share their resources with those in need, and their efforts are fixed more often on making the people they love happy. These are acts of love that we can continue even after the Christmas season has past. These acts of service are what warm hearts and enrich lives every single season of the year. He expects us to keep the Christmas spirit, His spirit, in our hearts and lives after Christmas.

Why do we have to keep the Christmas spirit? Because there will always be hearts to gladden, hands to lift up, lives to cheer, and joy and blessings to be shared with our fellow men. Because He came, we can have joy in this life and the life to come. Because He came, we can have everlasting life. Because He came, we can look forward to His coming with gladness of heart and the light of hope. And by keeping the Christmas spirit, it serves as a reminder that we can have all these blessings in our lives because He came.

The post Christmas season is over…now what? appeared first on morefaith.ph.

This season, through all of our various Christmas traditions, we commemorate one of the most momentous events in history, the Savior’s birth. Although often overlooked, here are two of the most important lessons we can learn from the story of His birth.

1. “BE IT UNTO ME ACCORDING TO THY WORD”

One of the many inspiring stories in the New Testament is how the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, informing her of her favored future, being able to give birth to our Savior.

We can imagine how overwhelmed Mary must have felt, or even how impossible it must’ve seemed; her task to carry the son of our Heavenly Father. However, “Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38)

Uttering the words, “be it unto me according to thy word” is a perfect display of faith and trust in our Heavenly Father despite feelings of fear and trouble that we sometimes feel throughout our lives. Mary’s acceptance of the angel’s words meant that she was willing to fulfill the role she was given no matter how difficult or impossible it might seem. Just like her, we each are designated roles to fulfill in this life. We can do all things if we place our faith and trust in His help, just as Mary did.

2. “AND THEY CAME WITH HASTE”

After the Savior was born, the shepherds responded immediately to the angel’s wonderful announcement of the birth of a savior who lay wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger.

At the time the angels appeared to the shepherds, they were watching their sheep. They could have made a range of excuses- “We can’t leave these sheep here. Someone else will have to watch them.” or “They didn’t specify tonight. We can always go tomorrow.” Even so, they didn’t find excuses or ways to wiggle out of their task.

“The shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem…which the Lord hath made known unto us…And they came with haste.” (Luke 2:15-16) The shepherds went right away, and found Joseph, Mary and the Savior. Because they went right away, they also received the blessings of their obedience right away.

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” (Luke 2:20) Like the shepherds, we can also “come with haste” and respond to spiritual instructions we receive from promptings, our modern prophets and even the scriptures.

At this time of the year, we can choose to learn more about the Savior’s birth and the lessons that it can teach us. President Russell M. Nelson said, “This Christmas season, I hope that we are focused first upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Wise men still adore Him.”

The post 2 Important Lessons We Can Learn From the Savior’s Birth appeared first on morefaith.ph.