Christmas Is for Everyone

The account of the birth of Jesus is found in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. Matthew records the story of the Wise Men and Luke the story of the Shepherds. The two accounts present a wonderful contrast. The wisemen were men of great wealth. They had all that money could afford. The shepherds were common men. They were simple working people. While the former brought valuable gifts to the Christ child, the latter brought only their praise and worship.

There is a valuable lesson to be learned from these two accounts. It does not matter what your economic situation is; it does not matter what race you are; it does not matter what nationality you are; nor does it matter what part of the world you are from. Christmas is for everyone who is willing to stand in amazement at the birth of the Christ.

To really appreciate the full meaning of Christmas, it is important that one looks beyond the tiny stable in Bethlehem. As we gaze at the tiny baby in the manger, we need to look beyond to the city of Jerusalem and to a hill called Calvary. For it is to Calvary that this baby will go when He has grown to be a man. It was at Calvary that He would fulfill His purpose for coming. At Calvary, He would die for the sins of the world. He alone could do such a thing, because He led a perfect life. He would be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man.

His death on the Cross did not complete the full story of Christmas. We need to look farther to the empty tomb. It is the empty tomb that placed a stamp of validation upon all the claims that Christ had made. It is His resurrection that finalizes His victory over death. It was His resurrection that provided the blessed hope that belongs to all those who place their trust in Him.

As we continue to gaze at the manger, we need to see another beautiful scene. We need to see to see the group of His followers that watched in wonder as He ascended into the heavens to take His rightful place with the Father. As we observe the scene we need to hear and to believe the words that the angels spoke, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 NASB)

When we are able to see this full picture, while we are concentrating on the cradle, we will experience the full meaning of this wonderful birth that took place so long ago. My prayer is that we all will see beyond the manger and will see the entire story. For this story in its entirety is the hope for all mankind.

The Pursuit of Happiness

It is said that as Benjamin Franklin concluded a stirring speech on the guarantees of the Constitution, a heckler shouted, "Aw, them words don’t mean nothing at all. Where’s all the happiness you say it guarantees us?" Franklin smiled and replied, "My friend, the Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness; you have to catch it yourself."

For many people the next several weeks will be the saddest weeks of the year. For them the holiday season only reminds them of the loneliness and dissatisfaction in their lives. Each special activity simply exasperates the negative feelings hidden away in their hearts. Their attitudes prevent them from experiencing the joy and happiness that comes from giving thanks and rejoicing in God’s gift of His Son to mankind. A large part of their problems come from the fact that they have been pursuing happiness in all the wrong places.

Let’s face it, if most of us are left to our own devices, we will seek our happiness from people, possessions, power, and prestige. While each of these may bring a sense of fulfillment, none of them bring the deep heart felt contentment that our hearts cry for. This is not to say these things are unimportant but it is to say they are not all a person needs to find lasting contentment.

With this thought in mind, look at Proverbs 3:1-12. In these verses you will find six things that you can do that will assist you in pursuing happiness. You may want to go to the passage and read it for yourself. Until you do, here they are in outline form.

-1- Always remember God’s teachings. (3:1, 2)
-2- Practice kindness and truth. (3:4)
-3- Trust God in all things. (3:5, 6)
-4- Fear God and turn from evil. (3:7, 8)
-5- Honor God with your wealth. (3:9, 10)
-6- Receive God’s discipline willingly. (3:11, 12)

Ben Franklin was right. The government can not guarantee anyone happiness. It can create an environment in which we are free to pursue it for ourselves. As you pursue happiness throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, make sure that you chase after it in the right places and ways. Follow the advice of Solomon and look for it in the things listed above. If you do, this may well be the best holiday season that you have ever had.

Being Thankful When Times Are Hard

For most people, Thanksgiving through New Years is the busiest time of the year, .This year the shopping, feasting, rushing, ball games, family gatherings, and other activities may be less, because of the economic downturn we are suffering. However, I imagine most of us will still find enough things to do to leave us exhausted when it is over.

If our celebration is dampened by the bad economic news of late, we can choose to wallow in self pity or we can use the situation to lead us to count the blessing we do have. Regardless of our financial situation, we can experience the wonder of God’s bountiful gifts of grace and the wonder of God’s incarnation displayed to us in the birth of the Christ Child. We can appreciate our faith, family and friends. These are the blessings that last.

We can experience these things when we see our world through God's eyes. He wants us to see a reason for thanksgiving in every circumstance. His Word admonishes us to, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB).. There is a big difference between being thankful for something and being thankful in something. While I may not appreciate a circumstance in my life, I can give thanks for not having to endure it alone. I can know God is always present and He is able to bring good out of the worst of situations.

I can be thankful God does not change whether I am in the middle of a crisis or on a mountaintop. I can take comfort in His word that says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NASB). The stock market may tank, my body may give way to aging, people close to me may break my heart, but Jesus does not change. He is always available to comfort and to see me through.

If your life seems to be filled with more sorrow than joy, more want than plenty, more difficulties than blessings, ask God to show you the things for which you can give thanks. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to help you to develop the attitude reflected by the Apostle Paul when he wrote, “Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am” (Philippians 4:11 NASB). On the other hand, if your bucket seems to be overflowing with blessings this year, consider that God did not give them to you to hoard. He gave them to you to share. Your sharing, your gift of kindness, may well be the thing that He wishes to use to place a spark of thanksgiving into the life of someone that is having a difficult time. Not only, will you be an instrument of God’s grace; you will experience first hand the truth in the saying that it is more blessed to give than it is to receive.

Remember the Source of Your Blessings and Be Thankful

In the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy, you find a stern warning from God to the Hebrews. He warned them against forgetting who had been responsible for the prosperity that they had received. Verse 17 reads, “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth’” (NASB). Later in verse 19, God says, “It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish” (NASB). If we read through the entire Old Testament, we find that time and again the Hebrews failed to heed this warning.

It is important to note that the Hebrews never denied God. In fact, they prided themselves on being His chosen people. However, they did forget that their God was a jealous God and they sought after other gods. Their forgetfulness brought God’s discipline upon them over and over.

There is an important lesson to be learned here, as we enter into the Thanksgiving season. This is the season for us to reflect upon our blessings. We are the most powerful nation in the world. Our poor would be considered middle class in most of the third world nations of the world. God’s fingerprints are all over our success. From our inception to the present, God has clearly blessed us.

Unfortunately, from all appearances, we have made the same mistake the ancient Hebrews made. We seem to have forgotten who is responsible for our strength and wealth. We give lip service to our God but our actions show that we are prideful about our accomplishments. Like the Hebrews, we have not denied God but we have allowed Him to become irrelevant to us, while we chase after the gods of power, prestige, pleasure and possessions. If we do not come to our senses and return to the God who has made this a great nation, we invite His discipline upon our nation.

You may ask, what can I do. You can make sure this Thanksgiving season that you and your family give God His proper place around your Thanksgiving table. Take time to give Him the thanks that He deserves. Remember that everything that you have comes from Him, either directly or indirectly. You can reaffirm His place in your life and turn from the gods of the world that seek your affections. You can give Him your thanks and give Him first place in your life. If enough people across our country will do that this Thanksgiving season, God may relent and we may avoid the discipline that is sure to come, if we continue down the path that the Hebrews of old followed.

An Anchor or a Launching Pad

Most athletic locker rooms are covered with posters. Each poster has a saying that reminds players of the importance of working hard and being committed to their task. During my coaching days, my favorite saying was, “It’s not how hard you get knocked down but how quick you get up that counts.” Anyone who has played sports realizes being knocked down is a part of the game and each new week brings a different set of challenges. To be a success you can’t feel sorry for yourself when things go wrong, and you can’t become complacent when success comes your way.

While these two principles are secular in nature, there is also a spiritual component to them. The Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul are perfect examples. Peter was willing to die for Christ until the time came to do so. Then, he denied Him three times. Later, he repented and Christ used him in a mighty way. The Apostle Paul had served Christ faithfully, but his past service did not keep him from looking to future work. He wrote, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 3:14). His past successes did not allow him to stop looking forward because he knew there was much to do. The point is that neither man let the past define who he was. Their thoughts were not anchored in the past but they were looking to the future.

We should not allow our past failures to be an anchor around our neck, nor should we let our past successes become a source of pride. Our past, good and bad, will always be with us. Whether it becomes an anchor that holds us back or a launching pad for the future good works depends upon how we deal with it. An anchor or a launching pad, the choice is ours.

Is It Time for a Spiritual Check-Up?

Most medical people will tell you one of the secrets of good health is early detection. This is why it is a good policy to have regular physical checkups. When you go for your checkup, the first thing the doctor does is check your vital signs. He weighs you, listens to your heart and lungs, and takes your blood pressure. He orders a variety of blood test to make sure there are no danger signs. By checking these vital signs, he is able to get a good feel for your physical condition. If one of these vital signs is abnormal, he knows to look deeper to the cause for the abnormality. By identifying a problem early, he can often treat it and prevent it from becoming a major problem.

As surely as there are vital signs that identify a physical problem, there are vital signs that help a disciple of Jesus Christ recognize that he/she is having spiritual problems. Paul recognized this truth. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, He reminded them that it was wise for them to check on their spiritual health. He wrote, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (II Corinthians 13:5a NASB)

Let me suggest four crucial spiritual vital signs that disciples and churches can check to measure how healthy their spiritual life is. First, a healthy disciple will have a deep appreciation and hunger for God’s Word. When there is no interest in God’s Word, it is impossible for someone to grow up strong in the Lord. A steady balanced diet of God’s Word is as important to the spirit as a balanced diet of food is to the body. If it is missing, the spirit becomes weak and is open to a wide variety of attacks by the enemy.

Second, a healthy disciple will recognize that prayer is an essential element in ones spiritual development. Just as our nervous system transmits commands from our brain throughout our body, prayer keeps us in touch with our Head, Jesus Christ. You show me someone who has done great things for God and I will show you someone who has a powerful prayer life.

Third, a healthy disciple understands the importance of fellowship with other believers. The Christian faith was never meant to be a private faith. It was meant to be shared. Paul uses the analogy of the physical body to describe the church. He emphasizes that the body is effective only when it works in harmony with all the parts. It makes no sense for the eye to tell the ear that it doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. Each part is important. Working together all the parts can do great things. A healthy disciple understands that he needs others. He understands that it is a two way street. The church needs all of its parts and the individual parts need the church

Fourth, a healthy disciple has the right attitude toward stewardship. He understands that all of his time, talents and treasures belong to God. They are not his to own but they are his to be a steward over. Ultimately, it is God who should determine how he should use these gifts that He has bestowed on him. When someone hoards their time, talents and treasure, it is a sure sign that there is a problem with their spiritual health.

The good news is that we do not have to go to the doctor’s office to check on these spiritual vital signs. We need to get in a quiet place and allow the light of God’s Spirit shine into our lives. His light will reveal the areas upon which we need to improve. However, just as a doctor can prescribe medication for our physical problems but can not force us to take the medications he has prescribed, God’s Spirit can reveal our spiritual needs but He will not force us to follow His cure. Each one of us must decide, if we are going to do what is needed to become spiritually strong. When faced with this choice, it seems to me that our most sensible response is clear. We should follow God’s direction.

Finishing Strong

In the Book of Acts, during his comments about the Resurrection, the Apostle Paul made the following statement: “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay” (Acts 13:36 NASB). Later as Paul was approaching the end of his life he wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7 NASB). What a wonderful testimony to the lives of these two men. They served their purpose, fought their fight, finished their course and kept their faith.

While we may admire the faithfulness of these two men, we should have as our life goals the desire to serve God’s purpose for our life and to live faithfully in our generation. In order to fulfill these goals, we need to learn four things from the lives of these men. First, every life has a purpose. In a world that sometimes makes us feel our lives are meaningless, we can know that in God’s economy we have purpose. There is no greater task for us than to discover and pursue the purpose for which God placed us here.

Second, the pursuit of this fulfillment is not always easy. Paul referred to it as a fight, implying that fulfilling our purpose is a struggle. Paul’s life was filled with obstacles both within the church and outside the church. In Ephesians 6:10, 17, he identifies his enemy and depicts his struggle with him in military terms. His enemy was the devil. We have the same enemy. His greatest desire is to hinder us from accomplishing the purposes God has for us.

Third, life is a marathon, not a sprint. Paul speaks of life as if he was running a race. If we read through his letters, we will discover that the course of his race had many mountains and valleys to overcome. He saw the end of his race as something to look forward to, not to dread. He clearly anticipated that in the end all of his efforts would prove to be worthwhile.

Fourth, our number one goal should be to remain faithful throughout our journey. Too often, we let the world define our success and in the process we compromise our principles. We need to remember that we can accomplish all the world requires for success and still be a failure in God’s economy. He measures our success, not in power or possessions, but in faithfulness.

We are involved in the race of life. Each one of us will come to the end of our race someday. Wherever we are in our race, we can make a commitment to run the remainder faithfully and to complete the course with the same assurance Paul had. As he neared the finish line he wrote, “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (II Timothy 4:8 NASB).