“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” as the songwriter put it, and it’s true, it is a wonderful time of year with all the pretty lights, and the freshly fallen snow. Most people seem to be in a little bit better mood this time of year, and a lot more charitable too. Bell ringers working for the Salvation Army standing outside the local Wal-Mart store in the cold wind and snow beckoning to us for a donation for the needy. Inside the stores the music of the holidays plays in the background, as people frantically shop for that perfect gift for that someone special.
Yes, Christmas is a special time of year, but I am afraid that most people have forgotten about the real meaning of the season. The world has succeeded in massively commercializing the Christmas season into a holiday of shear materialism where people are more interested in bigger and better things than in the birth of the Savior of the world.
I believe that Satan has used this massive commercialization of Christmas to hide the true message of Christmas from even being seen, a sort of snow storm that Satan is using to keep people focused on the fat guy in the red suit, instead of the Messiah who came to save them. After all, this is how the devil works, it matches his M.O. all the way, he is the master of deception, and the father of all lies.
We as Christian’s are aware that Christmas is really about celebrating the birth of our Savior, the one who came to earth to rescue us from sin and death. He came to give his life to provide a way for us to come back into full fellowship with God, not based on our works, but on the work he did for us on the cross.
It seems that the church has also fallen prey to the devil’s Christmas snowstorm with all of it’s glitter, and secular distractions, it’s enough to keep anyone busy thinking about a million things other than what Christmas is truly about. Now I am not saying that buying gifts for others is wrong, or that we as Christians should not go shopping, or have fun.
What I am saying is, that we should make a greater attempt to focus on the real meaning of the season, not spend so much of our hard earned dollars on the gimmicks and glitter of the world. We need to teach our children that Christmas is not about getting expensive toys and gifts, but about loving each other the way Christ loves us, and came to earth to die in our place.
It seems that each generation becomes more and more spoiled by materialism, and farther and farther from the Lord. They have a great passion for the things of this world, instead of a burning passion for the things of God. We need to teach our children now that Christmas is not about getting expensive toy’s and gifts, but about loving each other the way Christ loved us.
We need to teach our children about selflessness, the giving of oneself without expecting anything in return, because that alone exemplifies what Christmas is really all about. Jesus willingly gave up his rightful place in heaven to come down to this filthy sinful world, a selfless act!
Does getting less for yourself mean you had a lousy Christmas, not necessarily, but we would all feel like we had been cheated somehow if we didn’t get lots of presents. We have been programmed by the advertising industry, and the culture to always want more, and more, it is also part of our fallen nature. We have a lust for bigger and better things, the more expensive the better, but somehow we are never really satisfied with what we have. This I believe is displeasing to the Lord because in his Word he has told us to be content with what we have already, and to seek his kingdom first of all.
The secular mindset concerning Christmas has caused Christians to go deep into debt during the holiday season in order to buy expensive gifts and gadgets, mounting up hundreds, even thousands of dollars of purchases on their credit cards. This I am afraid is not Biblical, and dishonors the Lord, for he does not want his children to be in debt like this, God calls this a type of slavery.
Take some time and think about what is really important here, what mindset should you have concerning Christmas?
Have been walking through Satan’s snowstorm, so concerned about the world’s perspective, instead of God’s?
I urge every believer to prayerfully consider what they should be doing to take back Christmas from the world.
This holiday belongs to God and his people, not to the devil and his cronies, lets take it back! My prayer for you is that God will richly bless you during this most wonderful time of the year.
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