Merry Christmas! “I am what I am by the Grace of God” That is good for us to remember each and every day. If you are much like me, you have trouble with being too hard on yourself, perhaps thinking down deep that you are not good enough for the kingdom of heaven. It’s true; we are not good enough, no one is! Part of that great essay in Romans goes, “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (3:23, NLT) Paul continues that it does not matter who you are or what you have done. Jesus gift of salvation is perfect, just as our Lord is perfect. Therefore there is no one who cannot be saved by trusting in Jesus Christ. There is no stamp that we can see, no letter of official pardon, no feeling that we should expect (though some do experience great relief in confessing their sins), and no ring or crown that we can wear in this world. At this time God still allows the choice of not believing. When you choose to believe in Jesus, you are putting your trust in Him. Simple, straightforward, and from that point on the world and its prince will be out to get you! Praise the Lord!
The world will come at you with well-reasoned, by human standards, arguments; movies and other media, books and articles, direct personal attack, scorn, and unbelief. Newsweek has an article on the Nativity this week, but don’t expect a rousing rendition of How Great Thou Art. The article gives credit to ancient Jewish family mores as the basis for Christianity. Okay, one more time… let’s get it straight. We do not celebrate AncientJewishFamilyMoresmas, we celebrate Christmas; the root and vine of which is Christ! I agree with the article that the empty tomb is more important. However, we find it more difficult to celebrate Easter because our King died and left us to return to Heaven at that time. Yes, He did rise again and lives in our hearts, but we want to be with Him! That is why our celebration of Easter is mixed with sadness and is more difficult to celebrate and be joyous. Wow! Praise God! I have been wondering and searching for why it is so much easier to celebrate at Christmas. It seems the Holy Spirit has granted us an insight into that this morning!
Give the gift of love this Christmas!
Bucky
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