Found this on the internet and thought it would be a good post. Enjoy............
The True Meaning Of ChristmasBy M.S.Lowndes
Jesus Christ was born this day
So many years before
He came a servant to the lost
Though he was Lord of Lords
We celebrate this joyous time
Reflecting on His birth
Not born in a mansion, but a stable
As if He had no worth
He came so He could identify
With the human heart of man
And gave His life as a sacrifice
Offering a better plan
A plan that reconciles us back
To our loving Father God
Bringing hope and redemption from
Sins ruling iron rod
For this is the only reason that we
Should celebrate this day
To become focused on anything else
Would take the meaning away
So let’s arise with joy in our hearts
And share it with everyone
The meaning of Christmas will always be
The birth of Jesus – God’s son
Friday, December 24, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Christmas Stories
I find it amazing how fast Christmas sneaks up every year. Maybe it's because I view the end of December as some far off land; it remains that way until it is right in front of my face. As the magic day nears so does the argument over "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas", and whether the decorated trees many of us have come to love really do represent a pagan symbol or not. I am not here to argue either point today, although I do have my own beliefs on both topics. I want to talk about Santa Claus and Jesus.
Recently in the bible study group I am apart of we have been throwing out whether we as parents share the magic and myth of Santa Claus with our kids, or whether we share the real story of St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus). Here is an excerpt from the St. Nicholas Center describing the man we have come to know as Santa Claus-
Even though it dispels the myth of a North Pole, flying reindeer and magical elves building toys, this glimpse into the real life of Santa still warms the heart. The amazing thing about this whole story is that even Santa Claus placed God at the center of his life. Today, even in the face of a market determined to commercialize on the very idea of gift giving, we must all remember that the birth of Jesus is the real reason we celebrate Christmas. In Luke 2: verses 9-14 it says,
"And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. (13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
God gave us the gift of His son. Jesus gave us eternal life through his death. Give your children and those you love the gift of the story of Jesus' birth this Christmas. As to which Santa Claus story you tell, that too is your choice. Isn't that the funny thing about choices, there always seems to be one that is better than the other.
Recently in the bible study group I am apart of we have been throwing out whether we as parents share the magic and myth of Santa Claus with our kids, or whether we share the real story of St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus). Here is an excerpt from the St. Nicholas Center describing the man we have come to know as Santa Claus-
"The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships."
Even though it dispels the myth of a North Pole, flying reindeer and magical elves building toys, this glimpse into the real life of Santa still warms the heart. The amazing thing about this whole story is that even Santa Claus placed God at the center of his life. Today, even in the face of a market determined to commercialize on the very idea of gift giving, we must all remember that the birth of Jesus is the real reason we celebrate Christmas. In Luke 2: verses 9-14 it says,
"And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. (13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
God gave us the gift of His son. Jesus gave us eternal life through his death. Give your children and those you love the gift of the story of Jesus' birth this Christmas. As to which Santa Claus story you tell, that too is your choice. Isn't that the funny thing about choices, there always seems to be one that is better than the other.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Reflection in the Mirror
When you look in the mirror what kind of reflection do you see? If you were me you would see an unshaven face and pasty white skin courtesy of the pacific northwest's weather pattern. What are you seeing when you take a second glance? Come on, you know what I am talking about. We bring our feelings and emotions from deep inside to develop the real reflection that stares back at us. What do you see? Is it beautiful, happy, sad, remorseful, ugly, or maybe it shines bright as the sun that God brings us every morning.
A reflection in a mirror shows what is apparent and clear. Reflections mimic an object to show what is, but perceptions differ greatly from person to person according to their comprehension and understanding. A perception is an opinion created by you or someone else. Perception plays a huge role in how we see who we are, and equally how we change things we perceive as imperfections in the mirror. What imperfections do you see? As we begin to look to others for our reflection we are blinded and led into all kinds of disillusions.
The word of God is to be the true Christian’s mirror. That is where we should go to find our true reflection. Only then will we get a clear picture, not one easily distorted by emotion and/or pride. Instead we look to other sources. It’s like looking in those curved mirrors at the fair. We see ourselves from a distorted viewpoint. The Word of God is the only true and reliable source for a Christian to see who they are and what they are to God. It is the perfect law of liberty- of freedom; We will be set free from the false self views when we continue to pray and read God’s word every day. I am done for now and I leave you with the book James to enlighten with some last words..........
JAMES 1:22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
A reflection in a mirror shows what is apparent and clear. Reflections mimic an object to show what is, but perceptions differ greatly from person to person according to their comprehension and understanding. A perception is an opinion created by you or someone else. Perception plays a huge role in how we see who we are, and equally how we change things we perceive as imperfections in the mirror. What imperfections do you see? As we begin to look to others for our reflection we are blinded and led into all kinds of disillusions.
The word of God is to be the true Christian’s mirror. That is where we should go to find our true reflection. Only then will we get a clear picture, not one easily distorted by emotion and/or pride. Instead we look to other sources. It’s like looking in those curved mirrors at the fair. We see ourselves from a distorted viewpoint. The Word of God is the only true and reliable source for a Christian to see who they are and what they are to God. It is the perfect law of liberty- of freedom; We will be set free from the false self views when we continue to pray and read God’s word every day. I am done for now and I leave you with the book James to enlighten with some last words..........
JAMES 1:22-25
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Light and Darkness
When was the last time you were faced with a moral decision? Notice I didn't ask "have you ever been?" Anyone who has even an ounce of life experience has faced a choice between right and wrong. Back when I was in high school I was caught, along with four or five other individuals, throwing grapefruit at passing cars. To make things worse I was doing it from the second floor of a building at our church. Nothing says "Come to Church" more than a grapefruit landing on the hood of your car. This is an extreme example of the type of choices I am talking about, but I had to share!
When moral decisions present themselves they are usually in the form of:
-The coworker coming to you to rip on someone else hoping that you'll join in.
-Someone flirting with you, and you are married, or you know they are.
-Scamming the clock at work and leaving before you should, or claiming more time than you actually worked.
-Receiving and forwarding that funny email that may be funny, but is really inappropriate.
These are just a few examples we all face each and every day. There are many more I have obviously missed. Crazy though how our conscience drives us into the dark hoping that others will not see what we have done. If we hide it well enough not even God will see through our wrong and we can live life like nothing ever happened, right? Not so much! Then down the road after we have made so many bad decisions that we feel like we are constantly dodging bullets and carrying all of our issues from the last decade on our shoulders, we find ourselves bound by our past and not free to live for the future. Even the simplest of poor choices can seem insurmountable and numb you to what is right in time.
God has given us light in this dark world, yet so many chose to live in the dark. John 3:19-21 says, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." Stop dwelling in the dark and walk into light. If something has such a grip on you that you feel you can't make the good choice, pray about it and take that stand. Everything starts somewhere, and just because you slip up from time to time doesn't mean God will not forgive you. You separate yourself from society by having the ability to say you were wrong and asking for forgiveness. The most important thing is to live for Him.
When moral decisions present themselves they are usually in the form of:
-The coworker coming to you to rip on someone else hoping that you'll join in.
-Someone flirting with you, and you are married, or you know they are.
-Scamming the clock at work and leaving before you should, or claiming more time than you actually worked.
-Receiving and forwarding that funny email that may be funny, but is really inappropriate.
These are just a few examples we all face each and every day. There are many more I have obviously missed. Crazy though how our conscience drives us into the dark hoping that others will not see what we have done. If we hide it well enough not even God will see through our wrong and we can live life like nothing ever happened, right? Not so much! Then down the road after we have made so many bad decisions that we feel like we are constantly dodging bullets and carrying all of our issues from the last decade on our shoulders, we find ourselves bound by our past and not free to live for the future. Even the simplest of poor choices can seem insurmountable and numb you to what is right in time.
God has given us light in this dark world, yet so many chose to live in the dark. John 3:19-21 says, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." Stop dwelling in the dark and walk into light. If something has such a grip on you that you feel you can't make the good choice, pray about it and take that stand. Everything starts somewhere, and just because you slip up from time to time doesn't mean God will not forgive you. You separate yourself from society by having the ability to say you were wrong and asking for forgiveness. The most important thing is to live for Him.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
God Beside Us....What A Wonderful Thing!
The bible will always tell us exactly what God needs us to hear. I pray that we can all turn to Him so that we may fully embrace His love for us. No words today from me, just this incredible scripture.
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
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