Through the Eyes of Others

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.' Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which translated means, 'God with us.' And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus." Matthew 1:18-25

Many today will find themselves in the midst of last-minute preparations and decorations. It might serve us well to take a moment to see Christmas through the eyes of others. Such as -

Dale Evans Rogers: "Christmas, my child, is love in action...When you love someone, you give to them, as God gives to us. The greatest gift He ever gave was the Person of His Son sent to us in human form so that we might know what God the Father is really like. Every time we love, every time we give, it is Christmas."

Charles Dickens: "I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys...And so as Tiny Tim said, 'A merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us, every one.'"

"...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19

Remember - The Light that shines from the humble manger is strong enough to light our way to the end of our days.

Prince of Peace

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

Did Jesus make a mistake? Is the Bible in error? Is God unable to deliver what He has promised? No. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful" (John 14:27.)

Here's another aspect of Jesus' ministry to mankind - our peace. But how does that peace become ours? Wonderful direction is given in Isaiah 26:3 where it says of God, "The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee."

When Christ is our Savior, His peace actually lives in us. That's why the Apostle Paul could say in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance." "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts" (Colossians 3:15). In Philippians 4:7 he says, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And in Galatians 5:22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience..."

How can we have peace? Jesus' own words speak best: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Receive His peace.

Have You Been Born Again?

“For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” Col. 1:13-20

Jesus came to be our Savior. The salvation experience is what Jesus called being “born again.” What a wonderfully descriptive term. He used it originally in His nighttime conversation with Nicodemus. The term is still as misunderstood today as it was when Jesus first used it with this ruler of the Jews.

Advertisers have attributed the term “born again” to a new product design. Artists, musicians, politicians, and entertainers who have made a comeback are said to have been “born again.” Many have tried to use the term in effort to gain approval and acceptance by those in the religious world. But all of these are empty copies of the real meaning of being “born again.”

What does it really mean? It’s a beautifully descriptive term for the transformation which takes place in a person’s life when they come into the kingdom of God. It’s an accurate description also and one which conveys a dynamic spiritual truth: Life comes through birth, and without spiritual birth, there can be no spiritual life.

Paul tells us that the “natural man (the one who has not been born again) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:13).

Friend, have you been “born again”?

He Came to Meet My Need

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:22

“What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” James 2:14-16

Christmas is about giving, and it is in that thought that I pass on this story I read for you to think on today –

He said his name was James. “I been back on the bottle fer the last month” Tired, cold, and hungry, James is one of thousands of jobless, homeless “street people.” But what made James more than just another street person was the fact that he had stopped me – I could not avoid him.

“What an inconvenience,” I thought. Several plans for getting rid of him quickly came to mind. But they all melted as meaningless excuses when I heard my Savior say, “I was hungry, but you did not feed Me” (Matthew 25:42). Would I minister to the physical needs of this man in Jesus’ name or harden my heart and “get to work”?

“What if I’m just being taken advantage of?” I thought. Then came His words of reassurance: “I was taken advantage of. I was misunderstood. I was despised and rejected, but it was all in the eternal plan of God – and it all led to the cross.”

“You may laugh at this,” I said as James sat over a hot breakfast plate, “but I want you to know that I’m doing this for you in Jesus’ name. If I say I love God but don’t care for your needs, I’m the worst kind of liar.” His reply? “I’m not laughing. Thank you.”

O, Worship the King

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.' And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,

“And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler,
Who will shepher My people Israel.”’

Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, ‘Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him.’ And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:1-11

Jesus, Our Life

"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." 1 John 5:11-12

What first comes to mind when you hear the word life?

Biblically, there are two spheres of life: physical life and spiritual life. Obviously, you have physical life or else you wouldn't be reading this. Your physical health or condition may contribute to you ability to read or concentrate, but you are alive.

Are you alive spiritually? Paul says, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). That is, before your new birth experience, you were dead to the things of the Spirit.

The manger of Bethlehem takes on additional significance when we realize that on that hay lay One Who came to bring life, spiritual life, to those who had physical life. Christmas is not just the celebration of the birth (the life) of Jesus; it is the celebration of the spiritual life we can enjoy - the life He came to bring.

Do you have this life? If not, along with all the gifts you'll give this Christmas, you could accept God's special gift, given 2,000 years ago for you. Will you accept God's gift of new life? It's wrapped up in Jesus' birth and His death. Both were necessary in order for God to make the offer of life to you. If you already have this life, allow Christ to be your life every day.

To Know Him

"And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'" Rev. 19:11-16

Many people shun Christianity because they think it focuses too much on eternity (or whatever happens to us after this life is over) and looks too little at living today. Others shun it for the opposite reason: They see Christians who are caught up in living for today with no thought or concern for the future - near or eternal.

How can we present a realistic and balanced Christian vew? What people see in us individually is our perception of Who God is. The most effective witness comes from those who know Him. That should be our life-long pursuit and goal - to know God.

If we would keep in our hearts and on our minds the realization that Jesus is Lord, that truth would be reflected in what we do and say. Folks will soon recognize something different about you. They may not be able to put their finger on it (you can), but to them, you are differnt (in a good way).

It boils down to the question: What is your attitude about Jesus? Let Philippians 2:5-11 be a guide for your daily walk: "Have this attitude in yourselves..." (verse 5). The result? Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (verses 10-11).

Joyfully share with others now: the Babe is Lord.