Skip to main content

Ahhh, Christmas!



As Andy William's would sing, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" To me, it most certainly is. A lot of that has to do with the way and the place I was raised. I was raised to enjoy Christmas from every aspect. As with others there were the snowmen, the Santa's, the elves, wreaths and lights etc,... but there was also, and perhaps more captivating, the real meaning of Christmas that never failed to grab my attention -- the nativity of Jesus! One of the things I prized myself on was trying to draw a picture of the Magi coming from the east to encounter the King! Each year through my childhood I would try and replicate a drawing of what it must have been like that very night. To be honest, I was never too good at it but it was always worth the time to try.

But as I grew older I found there was something else worth the time to try. I personally met this Jesus that Christmas was all about. Yes, after having trafficked in all the sin and bling the world affectionately offers I realized there was truly something big missing in my life. I was not one bit fulfilled. That missing piece was the One I often sang of and was amazed at during the Christmas season. Like the Shepherds who stood shaking in ecstatic awe at the sight of the angels and the newborn King, and like Mary who beamed at the beauty of the omnipotent God as she cradled Him in the swaddling cloths meant for Bethlehem's newborn sacrificial lambs, and finally like Joseph doting over the beauty of the babe in remembrance of the nocturnal words of God one sleepless night, "You shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew1:21), so too, I kneeled in humble abeyance of who I had been and turned my heart in humble obedience to the Savior of all mankind. It was there, on my knees, that I met Jesus. Maybe this year you can too. Maybe you also can start the life of trusting in Jesus for yourself. There is nothing greater than having a personal relationship with Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul once said to his new church in Corinth, "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3). It is a sad fact that in America there are so many who, anymore, just ignore the life of Jesus altogether. The Enemy of souls has done a good job of inflicting blindness on the unbelieving through many different ploys (see 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). For instance, there are a lot of "pie-in-the-sky" and "genie-in-the-bottle" teachings about Jesus out there that many have fallen for only to find disillusionment. Often when trouble strikes many have been taught to believe if they just rub the lamp a little harder by saying more than one prayer or give a little more money to that TV or radio evangelist that "val-aah" all their wishes and prayers will come true.

One highly popular teacher just recently asked his audience to give "Day of Atonement" offering to him or their church by Sept. 23rd to receive forgiveness of sin! I had a lady call me and ask how she could give to First Baptist! I had to set her straight that the only atonement offering that is valid is the One given on a Cross nearly two-thousand years ago. Many have tried doing this or things like it and have watched their prayers pass unanswered as if never uttered. When questioning why they may be counseled, "You have to pray harder," or "you didn't ask in faith," or one of my favorites, "there must be some hidden sin in your life!" Honestly, this has brought on a lot of disillusionment with Christianity in the West. My heart aches for those who have been so deceived by people claiming to be shepherds of the souls but in fact are ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing. Jesus told us to beware of them.

This Christmas season I hope that you will not just take a passing glance at the Savior; that you will not just hear the Christmas story and let it pass on by. My prayer is that you will tell yourself "this year I am going to seek to find out if their is any real validity to the Christmas story. This year I am going to seek to learn more about Jesus." If your heart is empty it is because Jesus is calling you. He wants to come in and really, that is what Christmas is all about. The star. The angels. The babe. The manger. The cross. The resurrection. Eternal life!

Ahh, Christmas!!! My favorite time of the year!

Ecclesiastes 12:12-14,  And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.  (13)  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.  (14)  For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

25 Reasons to Believe - In Jesus FREE EBOOK

FREE EBOOK click to download - When book comes up click down arrow on Upper Right to save a copy . A while back the Barna Group released a report titled, "Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church." 1  Under reason two, " Teens’ and twenty-somethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow" they write:  "A second reason that young people depart church as young adults is that something is lacking in their experience of church. One-third said “church is boring” (31%). One-quarter of these young adults said that “faith is not relevant to my career or interests” (24%) or that “the Bible is not taught clearly or often enough” (23%). Sadly, one-fifth of these young adults who attended a church as a teenager said that “God seems missing from my experience of church” (20%)."  If one takes a look at the modern church-scape I can see why. The gap between those pastors and teachers that are fired up about Jesus and those that do not preach all of th

Fornication - The Acceptable Sin?

In the Bible there are several sexual sins that are categorized under the term,"Sexual Immorality." Not the least of these is, "Fornication." However fornication has become an outdated, and in many places, the acceptable sin in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries. As a matter of fact, many do not even know what the term "fornication" means. Since the advent of the modern Bible translation, many have never heard of it. This article focuses on what the Scripture says about this out-of-control acceptable sin. Fornication is mentioned thirty-six times in the Bible (MT), thirty-two times in the New Testament. In almost all modern translations the word has been substituted with, "sexual immorality" and has come to mean any number of sexual sins. However, sin (missing the mark) is still sin and sin still separates a person from God. So why has this sin become so acceptable even in modern churches???? UPDATE : Here is a testimony of life

The Bride of Christ Has Made Herself Ready!!

The Bible teaches of an upcoming Wedding Day that the Church should be on cloud nine over!! Rev. 19:7-9 states: Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come , and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." The passage above speaks of two distinct events, the Marriage of the Lamb and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Both of these events are reminiscent of the ancient Jewish wedding ceremony where the Bride would become betrothed to her Groom and he would go away to build her a home. In the meantime she would wait anxiously for his return with shouts from his wedding party of "The Bridegroom Comes!" When the shouts were he

Understanding Grace…without it no one can be saved!

Years ago as a pastor, I faced an issue concerning the topic of “Grace.” I had noticed some congregants who were taking Grace to the extreme and beginning to teach that since our sins were bought and paid for at the cross—all of them, past, present, and future—there was no need to strive against sin. Thanks to our Lord, this was noticed and the He quickly allowed it to be curbed. This heresy occasionally rears its head in Christian circles and indeed must be stopped before it becomes out-of-control. The good thing is that a proper understanding of Grace can arrest the heresy in its steps. Because this false perception thrives in loose living, many well-meaning Christians go completely to the opposite extreme and throw the Biblical teaching of “Grace” out altogether. That too is heresy. How should we approach it? Grace, as a doctrine, should always be presented in its entirety. By that I mean, a starting definition, followed by why it is important, and concluding with keeping it scri

Cardboard Signs and Saying Yes to God

Perhaps you have seen the story of "Daniel's Gloves". It has been floating around the internet since 2001 according to snopes.com. They also tell us the original author is Richard Ryan the assistant Pastor of a Church in Indiana.  I refer to this story—which you will find posted below mine—because of the effect that helping one in need can actually have on a believer’s life. One of the things I have done in the past is monitor just how many people there are who simply pass on by those who are holding a sign stating “Will work for food” or “Need Help for me and my children.” If you ask the hurting they will tell you there are literally hundreds and hundreds who just will not help. Truly it is a sad testimony that “one or a few bad apple(s) can spoil a whole bushel.” It is definitely something I also have observed. For some reason we either fear them, fear confrontation or fear being deceived. Whatever the reason, I often wonder how God feels about it. Just a fe