….It seems that we had just gotten a reprieve from the great divide of the American Presidential race. And now here we go again. Should we have guns? Do our teachers need to be packing? Should we have armed guards in our schools? Should Congress finally stand up to the NRA? Do we as individuals need assault weapons to protect our homes? God has given most of us the ability to form opinions, but it seem of late that is all the “Church” is about….Opinions! We talk a lot, post a lot but it seems we are falling so short of what we should really be doing.
I spent most of last night and today thinking about life and talking to God about things. I realize that I have been becoming increasingly disgruntled with the celebration of Christmas over the past few years. The reason being, it really has so little to do with Christ anymore. To begin with it is not the date He was born; it is something that man came up with….not God. And as the world moves further and further away from God, the less Christmas looks like anything that pleases Him or Jesus. If Christmas Day doesn’t fall on a Sunday you are hard pressed to find a church open, yet we say it is a Christian celebration. Churches have toy drives for the less fortunate kids, but after Christmas we go about our merry way. It boils down to the fact that we are not showing the world Jesus on a daily bases…just at made up Christmas time.
We now find ourselves in the great debate about….if only Prayer was back in schools! Allowing prayer back in the schools I don’t think will make a big difference. Why? Because I don’t see anywhere in the Bible where it says the public school system is to teach people about Christ. We act as if satan and Madalyn Murray O'Hair have outwitted God! That’s insane…if we were to spend as much time reading our Bibles as we spend on Facebook…we would know better than that. And the real truth about prayer is no one can stop a Christian from praying! No, not really! You may not be able to pray out loud, but so what! We can pray whenever and wherever we want! Who can really stop us? Who really knows? So every Christian who works in a public school should be standing in the gap for that school anyway. Every Christian parent who has a child attending public school should be praying for that school every day. Teachers should be coming in early to pray for their classes and calling each student by name. Who can stop that? No one…that’s who!
The Bible does tell us that we are to help people all the time, and show them the love of Christ every day by the way we live. So instead of toy drives why not be a haven for children after school, helping them with their homework, feeding them supper so that hungry kids will be fed. Why is it we just adopt a family for Christmas, and not the entire year to make sure their needs are being met and show them what Christ looks like on a daily bases? Gaining access to witness and share the gospel with them.
Christmas to me has become a “Holiday” that is all about greed, covetousness and money…even for Christians. We get upset because people say, “Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas!” but why? So many Christians are no different than the world when it comes to celebrating Christmas. We lie and tell our children that Santa Claus is bringing them gifts, instead of teaching them that God has blessed and given us the means to buy them, we go into debt to buy gifts, (but will not tithe) we become selfish and self-centered about what we want and what we think our kids should have. Why? What does any of this have to do with celebrating the birth of our Messiah? How are we showing the world the grace of God and the love of Christ when we are in the crowds on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday that are running people down to get a deal on a TV or computer? Of course this is not all Christians, but it is way too many to count. I’m really talking about Americans here.
Sisters I am sad today as I look at the world and the things that are going on because it seems the Church is asleep and we are not seeing the signs. I say this because so many who say they are Believers seem not to be living in ways that will convenience those who are lost and need to be evangelized. The Church wants to fight about things that really don’t amount to a hill of beans versus that which will be pleasing unto the Lord and bring change to a dying and lost world.
That is the bad news; but the good news is that Jesus has told us to be of a good cheer for He has overcome the world. I know that God is faithful and though I am sad today, I still have great hope in my heart for tomorrow, because I know God is already there.
I pray that I have maybe provoked you to think about this Christmas season and what it really means to the Kingdom of God, (not you) and to take a good look at your everyday life…what does it look like to your family, coworkers, neighbors, people in the supermarket, the teller at your bank or the stranger you met, and especially those on Facebook? Do you look like Christ to them or do you blend in so much you look like the world?
We have moved into the realm of where man is a lover himself and not God. Those who live in the darkness of the world, I understand, but for those in the Church….I find it very distressful. Time is drawing near; it is time to be very serious about the business of the Lord. Not manmade nonsense, but that which God has said is His business.
Love & Hugs
Ponnie
