Finding Christmas: Tradition, Truth, and Choice

(This is the second in a two-part series on choice)

A man I know is dying, mostly because of the consequences of a lifetime of bad choices. He hates his symptoms. He hates the compilation of diseases that are killing him. Those who love him are heartbroken. It's a tragedy, but it's too late to undo a lifetime of poor decisions now.

He had a choice, every single day of the last fifty years, and he chose poorly. Repeatedly.

Having a choice is a greater luxury than we realize, for many people around the world are trapped in a situation with virtually no choice at all.

I recently asked the question, "If we understood what our choices would cost us, would we choose differently?" The answer I received was, "Probably not."

Perhaps we've grown so accustomed to the luxury of choice that we have forgotten the implications of choice, for every choice has a consequence. 

If I choose eggs and sausage for breakfast, it may not have a major consequence today, but, chosen daily over the course of a lifetime, it can impact my cholesterol, which may clog my arteries, damage my heart, and shorten my life.

Choices matter, both in our health and in our faith.

When visitors from the king of Babylon (Isaiah 39) came to Hezekiah, he showed them everything. All "his" treasures. All "his" riches. Isaiah told him, "That was a bad choice, Hezekiah. One day, all those treasures will be carried off to Babylon, and your descendants, too." (Leanna Paraphrase) I've read this passage dozens of times, and I'm still shocked by the king's response. 

Hezekiah didn't care. 

As long as he had peace in his day, complete with all the treasures he believed were his, Hezekiah didn't care what the consequences of his choices were.

My grandmother was kind to strangers, generous to the poor, and patient with those whose lifestyle was not the same as hers. She saved for the Christmas mission offering all year long because she was committed to taking the good news of Jesus around the world. She prayed for those around her until she saw the results God had promised. 

Her decisions, made fifty years ago, still impact me and my son today.

I'm so grateful for her good decisions and the positive impact those decisions have in my life. But what if she'd made poor decisions? Those poor decisions would still have an impact, too.

It's a scary thought. My decisions over the last twenty-three years have borne fruit (both good and bad) in my son's life. Some of those decisions will have a lasting impact for generations. 

It's a sobering thought. Both the expression of our faith and the way we celebrate the holidays of our faith have an impact that lasts for generations. There are many fun traditions associated with this time of year and it's easy to let tradition overshadow truth. 

The Son of God left heaven and nestled briefly in a stone manger filled with hay. It was the first stop on a journey that led Him to the Cross. For me. For you.

The beginning of Christ's journey is the truth of Christmas. 

This year, let's choose to keep our eyes on the truth of Jesus and allow it to overshadow everything the world has to offer. There is no glitter more beautiful than the sacrifice of a loving Lord who gave His most important treasure to save even the least of us. 

The choices we make now will impact our families for generations. Let's be sure those choices are not just good but the best we can make. 
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In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Beginning the Advent Journey, Finding Christmas: The Best Advent of All, Finding Christmas: Something Better than Stuff, Finding Christmas: Setting a Goal, Finding Christmas: When Life is Less than Perfect, Finding Christmas: Clear Vision, and Finding Christmas: Making Choices that Count

The most read post of the last week: Grateful Heart: Family.

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#Advent #keepChristinChristmas #MerryChristmas #JesusChrist #choice

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

Finding Christmas: Making Choices that Count

I've been thinking a lot about choices and decisions lately. 

Over the course of a day, we make an astounding number of choices. I started the day by choosing to get out of bed rather than roll over and go back to sleep. In the few minutes since I rolled out of bed, I've already chosen between black coffee or coffee with cream, eggs for breakfast or a fruit and nut bar with peanut butter, which section of Scripture to read today, potential topics for a blog post, and which pair of shoes to wear outside. Before the day is done, I'll make many more choices.

Some of the choices will have limited consequences. Which pair of shoes I wear outside won't matter much. My food choices today may have a significant long-term effect on my health and weight. My choice of Scripture and devotional materials may have a lasting effect on my spiritual health, as well as on that of my family.

The potential for consequences should be a driving force in our decision making, pushing us toward right choices.

When the angel appeared to young Mary, he told her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30 nasb) She didn't find favor with God because she had a beautiful face or a lovely figure. She didn't find favor with God because she was a good housekeeper or sang well or danced well or told a story well. 

Mary found favor with God because she made right choices and obeyed Him. 

Tomorrow, I'll cut greenery and decorate my mantel. I'll haul out the tree and ornaments and decorations and set them in place. I'll wrap a few presents to go under the tree. I'll prepare Donna Krason's sugar cookie dough and freeze a roll or two. None of that will be about Christmas. It will all be about December. 

Tomorrow I'll also pull out the Nativity set my friends Yvonne and Marilyn gave me years ago. I'll set it up and search for the baby's broken hand (because I always hope I'll find it). I'll remember the phrase "Christ has no hands but mine". Once again, I'll sit before that baby in the manger and offer Him my hands to use as He will, and it will all be about Christmas.

This Christmas season, we have the opportunity to choose how we will honor God. Will we embrace only the glitter and glitz of December and call it Christmas or will we choose the Child who rested in the Manger on His way to the Cross? 

The choice has greater consequences than we know, so choose well.

Choose Christ. 
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In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Grateful Heart: Family, Beginning the Advent Journey, Finding Christmas: The Best Advent of All, Finding Christmas: Something Better than Stuff, Finding Christmas: Setting a Goal, Finding Christmas: When Life is Less than Perfect, and Finding Christmas: Clear Vision.

The most read post of the last week: Grateful Heart: Family.

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#Advent #keepChristinChristmas #MerryChristmas #JesusChrist #choice
photo courtesy of freeimages.com

The One thing we should fear

"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5 NASB)

"Don't be afraid," Jesus was saying. (We looked at this in yesterday's post. You can see it here.) Even if someone threatens to kill you, even if they do kill you, I've got this, He told his disciples. Being killed is not the worst thing that could happen. Going to hell is the worst thing. Everything else pales in comparison.

I don't have to be afraid, and neither do you. There is only one thing we should fear, Jesus told His disciples. Fear God, who has the final say about our eternal destiny. He is omnipotent and He makes the rules about who spends eternity with Him and who does not. 

The word translated as fear is phobos and indicates a reverential fear. According to Vine's, this is "not a mere 'fear' of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him." This kind of fear, it says, should "inspire a constant carefulness" in the way we act, both toward God and toward our fellow man.

We serve a God of grace and love and mercy, all of which He offers willingly to us. We can have His grace, love, and mercy in abundance. BUT. We will have them on His terms. 

As parents, we make rules for our family and expect them to be followed. When rules are broken, there are consequences. The point of rules is not to be mean. The rules serve to create order, ensure safety, respect authority, and make an environment conducive to the expression of love and joy. The rules, when followed, bring peace.

The One who is Creator and Sustainer of the Universe has also made rules for those of us who live here. He expects us to follow them. The point is not to be mean. Like the rules in my home, they are designed to create order, ensure safety, respect authority, and make an environment conducive to love and joy. The rules make a peaceful place to live.

The issue of eternity is pretty simple. We can choose heaven or we can choose hell. If we choose hell, we can do anything we want. It won't matter what we do; there will always be a place waiting for us in hell. If we choose heaven, that choice comes with a caveat. Choosing heaven means choosing God. It means we try to do things His way. 

Love as He loved. 
Give as He gave. 
Serve as He served.

There is one thing for certain. We will choose. Whether we intend to or not, we will make a choice about our eternal destiny by the life we live and the One we serve (or don't serve). What kind of choice are you making with your life?

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He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. (Psalms 103:10-11 NASB)

Our Father, You have not given us what we deserve and we thank you. Your lovingkindness toward those who fear, respect, honor You is too great to measure, and we thank You. Give us a dread of displeasing You and a constant carefulness in how we live. Give us a heart that fears You so that we can love, give, serve as You have loved, given, and served us.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

How to stop being afaid

"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5 NASB)

Jesus knew His disciples would face persecution. He knew they would live under the constant threat of death. He knew that some of them would die horrific deaths because of their faith in Him.  He knew what they would face, and He told them, so they wouldn't be surprised. I love that about Him. 

God knows everything we will face and nothing takes Him by surprise. Often, He gives us a heads-up about what is coming, so we won't be surprised, either. I love that about Him, too. The "uneasy feeling" of trouble coming? That's not a sixth sense.  It's God, preparing us for what's ahead.

He knows about the terrible diagnosis we will hear when the tests come back. He knows about the loved one who goes astray, the husband who leaves, the wife who has an affair, the lost job, the financial crisis. He knows.

What is even more precious to me is that He knows about our fear. He knows that the thought of a trial is often worse than the trial itself. I look back on some of the hardest times of my life. At the beginning, I was scared out of my mind. Looking back now, I see those times as some of the most precious of my life. Why? Because I didn't go it alone. God was with me every step of the way through. My fear was pointless, a wasted exercise in futility.

"Fear not" is angel talk. That's what they always say to us when they come. I wish we could grasp "fear not" and hold on to it. We don't have to be afraid, because we are not going it alone. 

 Fear not is God-talk, too. "Don't be afraid," Jesus was saying. Even if someone threatens to kill you, even if they do kill you, I've got this, He told his disciples. Being killed is not the worst thing that could happen. Going to hell is the worst thing. Everything else pales in comparison.

It's time we got our fear straight. We are full of so many fears. We fear rejection, failure, loss, disease, pain, suffering, death. We fear, so we live our lives trying to avoid the very thing we fear. 

I used to do that. Finally, I got it. When Jesus said "don't be afraid," He meant it. I don't have to be afraid.  I can choose something different. I can choose fearlessness. 

So I did.

I stopped being afraid. 

I'm not perfect at it. I still struggle with it. But mostly, I'm done with it. 

Experience has taught me that there is nothing that will ever come my way that God cannot handle. He's got this life of mine. Even when I mess up, He's got it.

I am in expert hands, and you can be, too.

Make a choice. Change your life. Give your fear away to the One who abolishes fear and be done with fear. You will love how knowing without a doubt that God is in control of your life opens up your possibilities. Nothing is too hard for Him, so nothing is too hard for you.

It is life-changing.

Why not be done with fear? How? Give your fear to God and embrace what He gives instead.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; 

but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

     (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)

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God of all power, help me to be done with fear today. Replace my fear with You power, Your love, and a sound mind that comes only from You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.