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enJOYing The Journey
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JJ Daniel, Washington
State
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And What About Christmas!?
Merry Christmas
everyone!! God bless this season of celebration with His
Peace, His Wisdom, His Protection and with great joy in knowing Jesus. My prayer
for God’s people is that during this season, we will each have a new and
greater revelation of the unconditional love of God and His Son Jesus.
I don’t claim to be a
Bible Scholar, or to understand all there is to know about the Bible or the
Christmas Season. I do not know or understand Jewish customs and doctrine; I
certainly don’t have all understanding, or know everything there is to know
about anything. I do however have an opinion about Celebrating Christmas – and
that is what I will share with you today.
I have met many
wonderful people in my lifetime, some with strong opinions about not
celebrating Christmas at all – as it is a pagan holiday; some believe it’s okay
to celebrate Christmas as long as you keep “Santa Claus” out of the picture; others
believe that if Jesus is the focus of the holiday – it’s fine to be a part of
the celebration. I have no argument with anything others choose to do, or not
do; and it is my hope that all my brothers & sisters in the Lord will also
give me the right to draw my own conclusions, and to celebrate the way I
choose. Perhaps this is one of those things spoken of in Philippians 2:12 -
When we read … “Work out your own
Salvation, with fear and trembling.” J
What we do know for
sure, and must agree on - is that JESUS is the promised Messiah, the only
begotten Son of God; He WAS BORN of a virgin, died and was raised from the
dead, and now sits at the right-hand of His Father, praying for mankind! He was born into this world for one purpose –
to die for you and me, and to demonstrate unconditional love along the
way. I think that most of us can agree
on these Bible basics. Amen?
(We also know that
Jesus, the Son of God was probably born in the month of July; and that the
Jewish calendar is not the calendar that we use today.)
There are many
religions in the world today, with different opinions, different doctrines, and
different translations of the Bible; some don’t read the Word of God at all.
There are several views about who Jesus is and how to find Him; some believe
there are “many ways to God, and others, that “Jesus is only one way.” Some
believe that “God has no Sons” at all.
With all the different opinions and view-points, it could become quite
confusing to someone seeking to find Truth. Of course we all know that “confusion
never comes from God”. (1Corinthians 14:33)
I personally believe
that JESUS CHRIST is the only begotten SON OF GOD, and JESUS is the ONLY WAY to
the Father. (John
14:6) I expect that all readers here would
agree with that.
The one thing that I know for sure – is that I have a personal,
daily relationship with my Savior Jesus Christ. I believe that if it were a
“wrong” thing to be a part of the Christmas Celebration – I would know that; in
the same way that I know that I should not participate in Satan’s high-holiday,
Halloween night.
So, what about Christmas?
This is what I think…
o
If shopping and parties and holiday decorations are the only
thing on the mind of a believer, I think that is a bit out of balance; Jesus
should be our constant focus, every day.
o
Giving to others is a Bible Principal; going into debt is not.
o
Getting together with others is a Bible Principal; when we honor
the Lord and let Him Shine in our life.
o
Enjoying life and celebrating the goodness of God, is a Bible
Principal; living in stress rather than His Peace - is not.
o
Loving and blessing our children is God’s idea; lying to them
and teaching them fairytales as truth is not.
o
I personally do not get involved with Christmas decorating, but
I do enjoy seeing what others display.
o
I don’t do a lot of shopping or gifting, but there is a joy in
giving that nothing else brings.
o
I don’t fight through the mobs at the stores, but when I am in
town - I totally enjoy hearing the Christmas Music, and looking through the
Christmas Cards and Ornaments that are openly displayed in most stores. (Target
is the exception here: they took the word “Christmas” and “Christ” out of their
stores; you will not find a banner or a “religious” card there, not even the
words “Merry Christmas” are displayed – as they don’t want to “offend” those
who don’t believe in Jesus. They also
removed the Salvation Army bell-ringers from their stores, incase that might
offend someone. I personally do not shop
at Target.).
This one time of year
people are open to the story of Jesus Christ – more than any other season. They
will display the Christmas Cards you mail them; they will put a star on their
tree, and perhaps remember the Christmas Story they heard as a child. They will
give funds to help the less-fortunate, and share their abundance with children
they have never met. I’ve heard people sing along with “away in the Manger” –
or “Silent Night’, as they shop - their
mind may not even be thinking about Jesus, but they are still singing about
Him, and the Holy Spirit is there to draw them to the Father.
I personally believe
that this season is an excellent opportunity to boldly speak the Name of Jesus,
write about Jesus, sing about Jesus, and celebrate Jesus. I live for and
celebrate Jesus every day of my life, and truly love that He has the attention
of millions right now. I enjoy “Christmas Movies” that carry a message of hope,
and I love that people are worshipping my King, Jesus Christ; it is a beautiful
and life-giving joy-filled season. I pray that this month we will see thousands
come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and King.
How ever you
celebrate the birth of Jesus, I pray His Peace, His Wisdom and His Truth for
each of us. I pray that He will invade our lives and the lives of all we know,
with the unconditional love of God and His plan for our lives.
Shalom Family of God! SHINE ON!!
JJ Daniel – loving
Jesus!
