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Great Expectations for Christmas
Part of enjoying all the celebration of Christmas is understanding who
was born that day
.
Christmas is packed with expectations. Christmas is celebrated because of the birth of Jesus. Jesus clearly and repetitively told people he was God. Jesus said he could give people eternal life and forgiveness for their sins… credentials which clearly belong only to God. Jesus didn’t teach people ten steps to achieve holiness, or personal disciplines to reach God. If you want to know God, Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” To give credence to his claims, Jesus performed blatant, irrefutable miracles. His miracles were known by all. Jesus so thoroughly equated himself with God.
Marilyn Adamson
Typically, we knock ourselves out trying to
make it the “perfect” Christmas.
And year after year we end up with the same
empty feeling, like Christmas wasn’t as personally fulfilling as we’d hoped.
Why is that?
Let’s look at a few of our expectations.
Picture yourself seated at a beautifully
decorated Christmas dining table.
Cheerful Christmas music plays softly and a
twinkling Christmas tree stands in the background. This is the time of peace on
earth, good will toward others.
Sometimes, in spite of our efforts, people
knock heads, even at Christmas.
Perhaps you’re hoping that this year your
children will be cheerful, patient and thoughtful of others.
Well, if that’s how they are from January to
November, you might have a shot at it in December.
Or you might find them pulling ornaments off
the Christmas tree and opening presents saying, “I already have this.”
Somehow we think the perfect Christmas is
happening in someone else’s house, not our own.
Christmas is packed with expectations. Life
isn’t perfect and our expectations can do us in.
Rather than be driven by a list of
expectations, there is a better way to approach Christmas.
There’s a way to find it much more personally
satisfying.
First, let’s look at why we
have Christmas… other than increasing the U.S. Gross National Product, of
course.
Christmas is celebrated because of the birth
of Jesus.
Now the whole world doesn’t celebrate my birthday.
Why is he so special?
Well, Jesus said he was God.
If you look at Buddha or Confucius or other
religious leaders, often it was their followers who declared them “God” long
after they were dead.
In contrast, Jesus clearly and
repetitively told people he was God.
Jesus said he could give people eternal life and forgiveness for their sins… credentials
which clearly belong only to God.
His communication was also unique.
Jesus didn’t teach people ten steps to achieve
holiness, or personal disciplines to reach God.
If you want to know God, Jesus said “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.”
To give credence to his claims, Jesus
performed blatant, irrefutable miracles.
People born blind could see. The lame who were
stuck begging were now walking. The mentally ill could think soundly.
We’re told, “Jesus went about all the
cities and villages… healing every disease.”
His miracles were known by all.
Who is this Jesus?
Jesus did more than heal people. Five thousand
people were given dinner with food that Jesus instantly “produced” for them.
Another time Jesus made a violent storm on the
sea cease immediately. The people in the boat “were filled with awe, and
said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”
Jesus plainly said who he was…
“I and the Father are one. If I am not doing
the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them…know and
understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
The Bible records, “This was why the Jews
sought all the more to kill him… he called God his own Father, making himself
equal with God.”
His audience understood the message.
Jesus so thoroughly equated himself with God
that he said
To know Him was to
know God (John 8:19, 14:7).
To see Him was to see God (12:45; 14:9).
To believe in Him was to believe in God (Mark 9:37).
To hate Him was to hate God (John 15:23).
And to honor Him was to honor God (John 5:23).
Now I should interject here, this is
being written by a former die-hard atheist.
I
thought people believed in God simply out of need. I was stunned when someone
showed me clear, scientific evidence for God’s existence, and equally
impressive logical, factual evidence for Jesus being God.
Here’s a quick example of the proof which
shows Jesus was correct in saying he’s God.
Throughout the Old Testament there are over
300 specific predictions about God’s Savior who would one day come to earth.
It would be like listing specific predictions
today about who will be president of the United States 500 years from now.
It’s written down what town this Savior would
be born in, to what family, where he’d grow up, what miracles he’d do, how he
would die, etc.
Jesus’ life perfectly fulfilled all 300
predictions!
The odds of any other person fulfilling even 8
of those predictions are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.
Other proof?
The Jews, knowing Jesus said He would rise
from the dead three days after His death, decided to post a Roman Guard of
10-14 trained Roman soldiers in front of the tomb.
Wasn’t quite enough. Three days later the tomb
was found empty.
Part of enjoying all the celebration of
Christmas is understanding who was born that day.
The Christmas carols suddenly take on more
punch… ”Joy to the Word, the Lord has come.”
Jesus was not another prophet, or great
teacher. This was God revealing himself to us.
Why did Jesus come to earth?
Jesus said,
“I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly.”
You know how life at times can seem “lite,”
pointless, without real meaning?
Even at Christmas we can go through all the
motions, but life can still lack depth. Jesus wants to give us a more
meaningful, abundant life.
Secondly, he came to offer us a
genuine relationship with himself. “He was in the world, and the
world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. But to all who received
him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God.”
To be honest, a lot of people try to approach
God the wrong way. They try to earn God’s acceptance by living a “good” life.
And then they reason with him. “God,
I’ve tried to be a good person. I’ve tried to be kind and generous. I’ve gone
to church. I’ve prayed. And I’ve never murdered or cheated anybody.”
Sounds good. But Jesus said we need to know
what his standards are.
Just how good a life would we have to live? Jesus said,
“You therefore must be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.”
Well, let’s be brave and see how perfect we
are. Imagine trying for an entire day to be… patient.
I’d have to skip coffee and settle into a near
coma. But let’s assume you’re alert and you’re going to be patient in all
circumstances for one entire day.
You’ll be patient with customers, other
employees, your boss, patient in traffic, patient with your family.
Let’s pretend you tried so hard, and you
actually were patient all day. Wouldn’t it irritate you that the people around
you were so impatient?
If I were concentrating that hard on being
patient, I know I’d be very self-righteous and judgmental toward all those
other rude, impatient people.
And my self-righteous attitude also would not
line up with God’s standard of perfection. The Bible says we sin… no surprise
to me.
But what did surprise me is that the Bible
says my sin has separated me from God. It’s like an impenetrable wall.
The Bible says, “The wages (payment) for
sin is death.”
Number one on Jesus’ agenda for coming to
earth was to pay for our sin. The Bible says, “By this we know love, that he laid
down his life for us….”
It’s like the woman who was arrested on a
drunk-driving charge. The judge ruled, “thirty days or $1,500 bail.”
As she was agonizing over this, the judge
stepped around to the front of the bench, pulled out his check book and paid
the $1500 fine.
Why? The judge was this woman’s father. As an
honest judge he couldn’t overlook his daughter’s guilt. But as a loving father,
he paid the penalty for her.
If we could have gained a relationship with
God based on our living a good life, Jesus didn’t need to come to earth and he
didn’t need to die on a cross for us.
But out of tremendous love for us, Jesus was
tortured, whipped, nailed to a cross and died of slow suffocation. Three days
later he rose from the dead.
Having done so, he now offers us complete
forgiveness and a relationship with him.
I used to think having a relationship with God
is something that just “happens” to a person or it doesn’t… like winning the
lottery or being struck by lightning.
But actually, it’s a personal decision.
God offers us a relationship with himself, and
it’s our decision whether or not to respond to his offer.
Jesus put it simply,
“I stand at the door (of your life) and knock;
if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him….”
When we respond to his offer and ask him to
come into our lives, we begin a relationship with God that lasts eternally. The
Bible says,
“I write this to you who believe in the name
of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Whatever is going on in your world this
Christmas, there is no greater gift you could give yourself than to receive the
One who came to earth for us.
He offers you complete forgiveness, a
relationship with Him, a more abundant life and eternal life.
As long as we trust in ourselves, our own good
life, God will remain distant, and we remain separated from him by our sin.
He asks us to empty our hands of our efforts
and receive him and his gift.
I’d like to give you the opportunity right now
to ask him to come into your life. There is no greater offer, nor more
important decision you could make in your life.
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door
and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him….”
I’ll help you put this into words. You could
say to him,
“Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. Right
now I open the door and ask you to come into my life. Thank you for forgiving
my sins and giving me an eternal relationship with you.”
Unlike other possible relationships, if you
asked Jesus into your life right now, he promises never to leave you.
Jesus said, (speaking of us as his sheep), “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of
my hand.”
I found that one of the best ways to get to
know him better was to read the gospel of John, which is the fourth book of the
New Testament, in the Bible. You’ll be amazed.
Also, you might find it helpful to look for a
church where the Bible is taught.
There is no greater joy at Christmas than
coming into a relationship with Jesus.
Too many times we have worn ourselves out,
driven by our expectations to have the “perfect” Christmas. It’s a set-up for
disappointment.
All of the shopping, decorating, entertaining
never fully meets our deepest longings.
For Christmas to be special, we simply need to
receive Jesus’ gift to us… a relationship with him.
Knowing him brings great meaning and enjoyment
at Christmas, no matter who knocks over the Christmas tree.
Would you like to know Jesus?
You can have peace and
find hope and know forgiveness through a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith
through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God.
God knows your heart and is not so concerned
with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested
prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally.
Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You
and ask You to come in as my Saviour and Lord.
Take control of my life. Thank You for
forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Bring peace to my world this
Christmas. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
If this prayer expresses the desire of your
heart, pray it right now and Christ will come into your life as He promised.
If you invited Jesus Christ into your life,
thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that
you have eternal life.
If you prayed this prayer we would love to hear from you. If you would like to know God deeper, we can connect you with an email mentor and/or send you some great links.
Katherine Kehler is an author, devotional writer and
leader. She has written hundreds of inspirational devotionals and
articles which have impacted people worldwide. Read more about Katherine
Katherine
has addressed many topics in her writings and we will attempt to sort them into
logical themes for you in this index.
https://thoughts-about-god.com/christmas_/ma_christmas
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