| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net “There are some of us ...who think to ourselves, ‘if I had only been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby. I would have washed His linen, how happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!’ Yes, we would. We say that because we know how great Christ is, but if we had been there at the time, we would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem....Why don’t we do it now?” ---- Martin Luther. Let’s turn the Spiritual Switch. This Christmas, let’s be selfish. Lets focus on the reason We were put here. To Worship God, and to Glorify Him. What is worship, and what grand things might I do to glorify Him? The formula is simple. This Christmas, purpose in your heart to do what we (as children of God) should be doing all day long; every day. Let’s (this Christmas) use our relationship with Christ as a mirror, to see what we might improve on. To get a good restorative look at the plank in our own eye. To worry about what I am and am not doing for God, rather than ---- Using My relationship with God as a window. To point out all the faults and weaknesses of my brother. To compare how much he isn’t like me. To brow-beat him into conformity. What’s wrong with him anyway? “Ready for Christmas”, she said with a sigh - as she gave a last touch to the gifts piled high. Then wearily sat for a moment and read - till soon, very soon, she was nodding her head. Then quietly spoke a voice in her dream: - “ready for Christmas, why what do you mean? Ready for Christmas when only last week - you wouldn’t acknowledge your friend on the street? Ready for Christmas while holding a grudge? Perhaps you’d better let God be the judge.” She woke with a start, and a cry of despair. “There’s so little time and I’ve still to prepare, Oh Father, forgive me, I see what you mean! To be ready means more than a house swept clean. Yes more than the giving of gifts and a tree, it’s a heart swept clean that You wanted to see. A heart that is free from all rancor and sin”. So be ready for Christmas and ready for Him. God Bless. |
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