Dec. 25th 2008 10:03pm
You can put Jesus Back in the Box now...
...and that is what the unsaved world will be doing in the next couple of weeks. They will take down the Christmas lights, the Christmas tree, the ornaments, the holly, the wreathes, the candles and all the Christmas decorations. They will go into the garage and find the appropriate box for all their things, and they will put it all away, until next December. And yes, they will even put "plastic nativity Jesus" away too.
For the true born again, Spirit filled believer, Christmas is every day. We celebrate the purpose for His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection every day of our lives. We celebrate our salvation and our dedication to Jesus when we forgive our neighbors in April, when we give to the poor in July, when we share the gospel in September, when we feed the hungry in October, when we say no to pornography, doing drugs, cheating, lying, hating and gossip every day.
You see, in December the unsaved world pulls out their plastic Jesus, and they "play" Christianity right up until Jesus goes back in the box again.
That warmth you feel in your heart in December is usually not the true essence of Christmas, it is either the hot apple cider or grandma's tamales still being digested.
It's OK to celebrate, just don't confuse our true faith with the world's toys.
Pastor Rene