Saturday, December 24, 2011

A Word for Christmas

Today has been hard for some reason...then:

Philippians 3:
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

As I wallowed a bit in self pity this morning, I was reminded by the Spirit of God (John 14:26) that I had taken my eyes off the high calling of God. That I was allowing the spirit of the world to bring me down. The news is not great, people beating each other over shoes. Greed. Bombings. Worldly junk. Then there are my personal remembrances and regrets. Wasted life opportunities. Ghosts of Christmases Past.

Paul screams in my spiritual ears as he writes to the Church at Phillipi. I will imitate him. I will set aside those regrets. I will press forward. I can't unring the out of tune bells in my life. I can just try to make the new bells I ring sound better.

I must not allow myself to be conformed to a world I find so foreign. (John 15:18-19)

At some point in our Christian faith we must draw the line and stand for something that will infuriate people. It is happening now in India, Malaysia, China, Iraq, Iran and, at a lesser level, even in the United States. But this is the path that Jesus took and He calls us to follow him. He chose us to break the holds of worldly conformity and to bring us into significance. We are chosen out of the world into our true citizenship; the Kingdom of heaven. Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
I know that if I become so earthly minded I will be of no Heavenly good. I resolve to cut it off now. This word was for ME...and maybe one other.

Pressing on ...Merry Christmas

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Merry Christms, Gene. Caleb, Austin, TX

Gene said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gene said...

And Merry Christmas to you Caleb. Thank You

Heart n Hands Inc. said...

Our families are not near... we had made plans to spend with friends dear... however after starting the car to warm, a river a green began to form! Too cold in the early am to crawl under the car, we didn't dare take it so far... and so home we stayed just us two... but wait wasn't it really THREE? For HE has promised, I will never leave or forsake thee...

Neighbors kind, from Costa Rica, husband helped mine late afternoon the trouble to find. Then invited us to come for Traditional spread, genuine Spanish food we had!

A Christmas, not as we planned, but planned by HE. Oh if we only open our eyes to see! No time for regrets, keep sadness at bay... For Christ IS Coming, it could be any day!

I have battled many a Christmas like you, feeling alone and blue
Thank GOD for Jesus who always sees us thru!

Thanks for once again sharing your heart, His heart too. Merry Christmas Gene. Thanks for just being you.
NEM

prophecyfire/ D. gansmann said...

I was stressed out also this morning and couldnt move then i read your post on faith on here and i left a comment for you and .words cant speak all the way what happened in a minutes time..God is renewing the past by healing it in the present...

prophecyfire/ D. gansmann said...

requoting what you said in your blog on faith is light of time...

"faith is only living at best when sensible apparences contradict and attempt to distroy it. to find God in the travail ordinary events is the greatest. "

this helped me out getting through my struggles at christmas...

all my memories of christmas past God has plans to heal and bring them into the fullness of what is now in present...and what is to come prophetically in future..i cant even put it into word form what i experienced in a moment of time laying in bed stressed this morning..or did I.