There are numerous lovely works of art on the shelves of any Christian bookstore. Inspirational sayings and excerpts from Scripture are embossed across peaceful-looking paintings. One of the frequent verses that I’ve noticed comes from Joshua 24:15, and what is usually printed reads: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” What does that really mean, though? In addition, what is the context of the verse? (<<By the way, those are two good questions to ask yourself & research anytime you see a verse isolated by itself.)

Joshua 24 starts out with the leader of Israel (Joshua, the one who succeeded Moses) calling together the tribes of Israel for a stern talking-to about how they have repeatedly shown disrespect to God. Joshua reminded the people about the miracles that the Lord performed concerning Abraham and Isaac, the incredible way he delivered them from slavery during Moses’ tenure, not to mention the numerous battles that God intervened in to help the Israelites overcome their enemies.

The people had forgotten (yet again) about God’s faithfulness. Joshua called them out and said that if serving the Lord—really, truly serving him wholeheartedly—was too much to ask, then they needed to turn away and make their homes among the foreigners. That’s when he said the famous line; Joshua reiterated that he and his family would choose to follow the one true God.

We may not be facing plagues of locusts or waging war against the Amorites, but we, too, have a choice. Will we worship the Christ of Christmas just during this season, or will we conscientiously choose to follow him tomorrow, and the next day, and next week, and next month, and years from now? Will we turn our backs and pretend to not remember the many, many blessings he has given us, or will we be like Joshua and stand up to the world in His name? The choice is ours.

Jesus calls us friends. Meditate on that thought today, in the hours leading up to our celebration of his birth.

Think of a friend who doesn’t know the Lord. What’s keeping you from inviting them to our Christmas Eve service tomorrow?

Think today about someone you can’t stand. Are they personally offensive, or perhaps – just maybe – could it be a heart issue on your part?

Does all this talk about friendships make you uncomfortable, because you don’t have a particularly close friend? Jesus calls you friend.

Have you ever had a friendship that went sour? Misunderstandings, hurt feelings, betrayal – get those issues right between you & God today.

You may have more than one “best” friend, but think about those closest to you today and lift up their personal needs in prayer, by name.

Think about your childhood best friend. Did you stay in touch over the years? Take a moment to thank God for friendships.

I have a small plaque that a co-worker gave me a few years ago that reads: “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.” Having grown up with only one brother as a sibling, I can attest that I have a few close girlfriends who are like sisters to me. In fact, one of my favorite stories of all time is the Anne of Green Gables series; I particularly love how the author described Anne and her best friend, Diana, as “kindred spirits.”

Having a kindred spirit is more than just having a BFF, as today’s vernacular suggests. With a BFF (best friends forever), you may pal around and have plenty of things in common, but then someone’s parents get relocated out of state or you grow up and move off to different colleges, and over time, the friendship may lose touch. You don’t mean for it to; it just happens. It’s part of life. With a kindred spirit, however, no distance keeps you apart. There may be periods of life when you don’t see each other for months or even years, but you have a heart-to-heart connection that goes well beyond Facebook updates, Foursquare check-ins and text-gossip.

Proverbs 18:24 refers to “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (NIV). The Message paraphrase reads: “Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.” That type of relationship, the family-but-not-by-blood connection with someone is an amazing gift. It’s the type of friendship that I believe the disciples had with one another and with Jesus. It’s the type of relationship that I believe we ought to have as a church body.

When we talk about “doing life together” as a church family, it’s a step in this direction. We build relationships with each other through Life groups, and that is terrific, but it takes making a special effort to reach out to someone in friendship to build a kindred spirit bond. It means being honest, taking off the façade and being held accountable. It means being vulnerable. Are you willing to let a kindred spirit have access to the tender parts of your heart?

The beauty of a present is that it is given freely. We don’t deserve and haven’t earned any of our blessings from God. Give him thanks!