John 15 is one of my favorite passages. I love this verse…

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4 ESV

The word abide or some form of it appears 11 times in John 15:1-17.

Abide = continue, remain, stay.

This may seem strange but I think the Christmas season is one of the tougher times of the year to actually abide in Christ. Pay attention to how Satan works in your life, family and church. If you aren’t careful, you’ll be so distracted with secular Christmas stuff and busyness, you’ll miss Christ.

So, be on your guard, men.

Guard your own life, prioritize your own time to make sure Christ and the Word don’t get pushed out of your life. Abide with Christ personally.

Guard your marriage. I know Stacy and I can get a bit sideways during this busy season because there’s no time for US in the craziness. Abide with Christ in your marriage.

Guard your family. Don’t miss the many opportunities to point your children and family toward the gospel. Lead your family to abide in Christ. (BTW… using Dad’s Tools for Spiritual Leadership™ to build a manger with your family and then leading them through the included devotions would be a great way to do this!)

Guard your engagement with the local church. Christmas Eve services are precious and memorable. Launch or sustain a family tradition of worshiping Christ on Christmas Eve. AND… this year, Christmas falls on Sunday. What better thing to do on Christmas Day than gather with other believers! Lead your family to worship together with the saints! Abide in Christ through the local church.

Guard your witness through relationships with others. There are lots of stories about how folks ‘get carried away’ with bad behavior at holiday parties, and we’ve all seen how customers treat wait staff in local restaurants and retail cashiers. The spirit of Christmas isn’t about reindeer and sleigh bells. It really should be representing Christ well to a culture who celebrates his birthday but doesn’t know Him.  Abide in Christ so you can relate well to others.

Bottom line, this season is often loud and boisterous… but we need to guard our hearts to find quiet moments to simply abide in Christ.

Let’s help each other here…. How will you abide in Christ in the coming weeks?