December 25, 2026 -Proper Heart Placement

1 JOHN 4:7-5:21

2 JOHN 1:1-13

3 JOHN 1:1-15

Chronological Bible Readings

^{1John 4:9} God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

What a perfect scripture for Christmas day. The perfect gift given to us in real, true love.

^{1John 5:21} Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

Also, another important reminder on Christmas. It is very easy to get caught up in the activity and traditions of Christmas. Those things are not bad but often we put more value on those things than on God. I have heard so many people say things like "Christmas is about family", "the kids", "spending time together with loved ones" etc. That is not true. For some of us if something hinders our decorating, cooking, baking, shopping or planning, fixing it becomes more important than remembering that the ultimate fix is the gift of Jesus. Those things are wonderful and good when they hold the proper place in our hearts. A place not of necessity but of thankfulness. If we have those things we can be thankful that God has made it possible for us to enjoy them as part of our celebration for the birth of His Son. But if we don't have them, we should be able to celebrate the birth of Jesus regardless. We don't need fancy decorations and a table full of food and a house full of people if Jesus is the most important thing in our hearts. And if we have those things they should make our love and thankfulness for Jesus even stronger and more passionate. If the things we are doing at Christmas are not drawing us closer to God, then they are in the wrong place in our heart.