Shopping for Jesus

I am one of the few people I know who would rather stay home on Black Friday than go anywhere! I hate mall crowds and I don’t like to shop in general so when people are in a shopping frenzy I just want to be at home. I would honestly rather pay more later than be tempted to hurt someone on that day.

My daughter has different genes. She and her husband went out for awhile to find some great bargains. They went at the end of the day rather than when the crowds were at their height. What they saw was ugly at one of the stores. The store employees were cleaning up a mess. Nothing was where it belonged and as they swept up the floors there was a huge pile of trash,  including a dirty diaper that someone had obviously changed in an aisle of the store and left there. Ewww!

I couldn’t help but wonder how many Christians take part in this day of unbridled shopping and what impression they leave on people who don’t know the Lord. In Colossians 3:17 Paul instructs us how we are to consistently behave as Christians. He says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” If we are speaking and acting in the name of Jesus then what we do will reflect His character and will protect or break down His reputation.

When I do shop I am sometimes tempted to leave things where they don’t belong or to give a slow cashier a roll of the eyes or a tapping of the toes. In His grace the Lord stops me. Even at the grocery store it would easier and faster to leave a cart in the middle of the parking lot or to keep extra change and not point out mistakes to my advantage to a cashier. In His grace, God won’t let me. Even in these smallest of details of our lives God is honored or dishonored by the way we handle ourselves for others to see.

Colossians 1:28, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” I have been studying this verse for a talk I will give in a couple of weeks. Paul was talking about how he was proclaiming the name of Christ everywhere he went for the salvation of those God was calling. He was teaching and warning others about their sin and their need for a Savior. But, he was also working and living among them, aware that everything he did would reflect Christ – or not. In his letter to the Corinthians he said this; “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.” (1Corinthians 10:31-33).

This has really made me think about how I proclaim Christ to others in everything, my eating, my drinking, and at this time of year we have to include my shopping. Am I seeking my own advantage or that of others? Do I really have to rudely grab a parking space or the last toy on the shelf from someone else? Do I need to be in such a rush that I can’t throw my trash in a garbage can or return a cart to the right place?

What I want to convey is that every word and every deed proclaims Christ or it doesn’t. Are we living for Him in everything or just when it’s convenient? Above all, what do others see when we’re shopping, dining with family, baking, wrapping, and worshipping Christ as we claim to be celebrating His birth?

In Colossians 1 Paul was talking about the words He used to proclaim the name of Christ. He clearly makes the point though, that our actions are just as essential to proclaiming that Name (1 Corinthians 10: 311-33). God is jealous for His own Name (Ezekiel 39:25).

So, when we shop this Christmas, will we shop for Jesus, at least for the sake of His Name? It’s His birthday after all!