Oh goodness… CHRISTMAS IS FINALLY HERE!!!! Now I won’t feel like an idiot when talking about it non-stop!…
So last time we talked, the topic was on how unordinary the newborn Christ was. Today I’m thinking about how unordinary His mother was. Although she was never special enough to be worshiped like she sadly is today by some, she was unordinary in her willingness to follow God no matter what it cost her. See, when we read the Christmas story in the Bible, most people probably think of it as nothing more than a perfect story full of love and mercy; and although that is what it was, I can’t help but picture the unfolding events as a soap opera. We have one of the main characters, Mary, who’s quite young - 15 or 16 to be more precise - who probably only wants to stay a teenage girl for a few more years instead of being forced into marriage. Then we have Joseph who’s most likely a few years older than Mary and very much in love with her. He goes before her father to get his permission, and without even asking Mary what she wanted, the two were engaged. However, shortly after they were engaged, an angel came to Mary and told her she was going to have a baby; but not just any baby. This baby was going to save all of mankind from their sins. The first half of the news would have been enough… How was this girl to carry a child in her womb when she was a pure virgin? Concieving a baby without two people just doesn’t happen. Even Mary confessed it was crazy, the angels’ reply being “with God all things are possible!” Not only was it hard to believe given the biological factors; but back then girls knew better than to get pregnant out of wedlock, and in doing so they were despised, shunned, and even stoned in some cases. It’s not like she slept around and was reaping the consequences of her actions - she didn’t deserve what was being placed on her shoulders. She could have thrown a tantrum upon finding out what she was about to face, and rightly so by our standards. She could have stomped and cursed God, and told Him to find someone else… But what did she do? She said “let it be…” She didn’t care what anyone else thought of her because she knew God thought she was special enough to be entrusted with such an awesome responsibility; and in the end she was blessed with the Savior of the world being her son, and being in love with her Godly husband, Joseph. Why can’t we respond like Mary when we’re placed is situations we don’t want to be in? Why can’t we put aside our worries, accept what God has given us, and have faith that everything will eventually work out for God’s glory? You may think Mary’s situation is completely different from your’s, but she was no more special than you or I. Whatever you’re going through today has been orchestrated by a holy God who has brought that trial into your life to make you just like Him and point people to Him. Mary was no ordinary girl, and we all need to be like her.
As the Christmas season is quickly approaching, I’m definately getting in the spirit! I’m already listening to Christmas music and watching movies - heck, I’m about to break out my mini Christmas tree and start wrapping presents tonight. The other day I was watching “The Nativity Story” and at the end of the movie when Christ was born, my overly affectionate baby-loving self was going crazy over the sweet newborn in front of me. Then I thought of something that I don’t quite know how to put into words aside from this: Christ was anything but an ordinary baby. Nobody in their right mind would travel hundreds, even thousands of miles, to welcome any ordinary baby. That isn’t to say that babies aren’t special, because every child is a miracle made in the image of God… But who would risk days or even weeks of traveling by way of livestock to simply meet a perfect baby boy? Because He wasn’t just any baby boy, He was the baby boy - the baby prophets had fortold the coming of. He was the king that everyone had been waiting for, the Messiah that would save the world from dispair. It wasn’t enough to just see the giant star docked directly over the Savior’s make shift crib… No, they had to meet Him. It wasn’t enough for the shepherds to be paid a visit by angels, telling them the exciting news of a newborn king who just arrived in a town called Bethlehem; they had to go see Him. It was anything but an ordinary, silent night on the evening of Christs’ birth. Everyone was talking about the phenomena taking place, and many of them were on their way to meet this king. Some were content to hear from others how amazing it was to be face to face with the Savior of the universe, but many had to see it for themselves. Then it hit me; people do the same thing in today’s society. We hear people talk about how amazing Christ is and like hearing their stories, but it seems harder than doing nothing. So we sit back and listen to all the other stories, while knowing deep down it’s not enough to feed off of others’ experiences. Why do we always go the easier way, when we can go up the mountain with a best friend holding our hand and carrying us when we can’t go on anymore? Of course it’s easy to take the quick way out in life, but the harder road is more rewarding. So as I’ve challenged you in the past, let me challenge you again: don’t settle for simply knowing about Jesus, but put everything you have on the line because you have to know this wonderful king named Jesus.
IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!… OK I’m a little off, it’s actually Halloween, BUT Christmas is right around the corner. Before you know it, December 25th will have come and gone and the only difference will be yet another pile of expensive gifts - most of which will probably end up sitting in the closet collecting dust. Don’t get me wrong, I love exchanging gifts with loved ones… But that shouldn’t be the main focus on the holiday. Even the word CHRISTmas points to the priority of the day: it’s a time to remember the biggest gift that was ever given when God gave His beloved son to this earth so Christ could in turn give us the gift of salvation, should we choose to accept it. Christmas is also a time to reach out to others and share the love of Christ that people are so desperate for. This Christmas God has given me a mission that I intend to accomplish with your help: giving every hospitalized child in one hospital a gift to show them that they are loved. When you’re so sick at an innocent age it can be hard to understand why sometimes, and these children just want someone to say hi, Merry Christmas, you are special. In order to accomplish this goal of buying and giving gifts to at least 500 kids, I am asking all my friends for money donations if they feel led to give. There is a group on facebook called “Christmas for Sick Kids”; for more information on this join the group. Let’s not forget how a little bit of love can go such a long way.
(Source: joelwgnr)
Happy Sunday to my fellow bloggers! I probably should have gotten on here before today, but didn’t because… I’m not completely sure, but the point is I’m here now so let’s do this!… Yes, I realize I’m a bit eccentric; just stay with me.
This morning at church I became aware of something I never really thought of before: there is a difference between being saved and being a Christian. Being saved is what occurs when someone admits that they are a sinner before a holy God able to forgive them and give them eternal life. Once a person asks Christ into their heart by applying John 3:16 and confessing their sins to Christ, they are more or less given a fastpass to Heaven once they die. Let me say here that I am not in any way belittling the importance of salvation; if you are not saved you WILL go to Hell when you die for all eternity, where the fire never quenches and the worm never dies - and where flashbacks are played over and over of all the times you rejected God. Salvation is the most important and essential part of Christianity, but so many people stop there and think that’s all they have to do. Being a Christian isn’t about simply having a free ride to Heaven, though; the word Christian means “imitating Christ”. Being a Christian means being best friends with the King of the universe who loves you so much that He gave His life so He could get to know YOU! Being a Christian means having God by when your entire world is crumbling beneath you and nothing else makes sense. Being a Christian is having Christ with you to share your deepest secrets with, good and bad. Being a Christian is being just like Jesus Christ everywhere you go: when you’re at church, and in your room by yourself on facebook. I always assumed that people who are saved are automatically Christians, and I always got so upset at people who claim to be Christians but never live it out. I now understand: those people are happy settling with simply having a fastpass to Heaven and taking all the trials of this world on their shoulders while trying not to sink under the weight. So my challenge to you tonight is: stand out from the crowd, be unmovable… Be the biggest Jesus freak this world has ever seen!
