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CHRISTMAS 2005
Who would have thought that the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would be under such great assault? And in our own country, no less. And by our own government agencies. We understand the godless and hateful groups that operate freely within this country, and their sworn duty to destroy the freedoms we have. We understand the politicians that will say anything to get elected, and then once they are, deposit their spines, consciences, and faith(if they had any) in the coat room and conveniently forget where they left them. We understand the retailers that operate under the premise of greed and profit only, and will try to appease everyone, Muslim, Jew, Cultist, Catholic, Atheist... everyone that is, but the professing Christian. But Christmas? Why Christmas? Hey, it's really not about Christmas at all. It's just the inflammatory timing. The spilling over disdain for Biblical Christianity has finally come out of the closet, and they are roaring in their antichrist rhetoric and lawmaking. Our nation has abandoned its heritage. They have turned their backs on the true and living God and His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. They have become like the heathen and decadent lands of Europe and Asia . Perilous times have come and we all must meet the challenge of the day in which we live. It is fruitless to depend on government to reverse the trend. They are not the same government, nor do they operate on the same premise. Former President Ronald Reagan opposed this modern idea of banning God from public life. He once said, "If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." He was right. But his kind aren't around anymore. Today they have no respect for the truth, neither do they know it, because in their world view, all things are relative, and there can be no absolutes. As in other lands historically, true Christianity becomes a threat to the plans and aspirations of all godless systems. It matters little what one professes - we live what we really believe, and when the two contradict - it's what one lives that teaches more than what one professes. In perilous times special measures of grace are afforded to God's people to stand up for the truths and the faith, "once delivered unto the saints." Can God count on you? Or has the fact that Jesus Christ has been so openly rejected and despised once again discouraged you into doing nothing.? Keeping quiet. It could well be that your profession was an empty one and these times are manifesting the lack of genuine faith within. Christ is still calling you and waiting for you to realize your spiritual need of salvation through Him alone. He is still giving you another opportunity to receive Him as your personal Savior from sin as you repent toward God and trust Christ for your salvation. If you haven't received Him, won't you call on Him now and make sure of your salvation. Christian, this is a great time to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. The world is proudly and openly mired in darkness. Let them see what Christmas is all about in you and from you. Surely we have more to be proud about and open as to our beliefs than the darkness. Don't be intimidated. Go on the offensive with the Gospel of Christ, for it is still, "...the power of God unto salvation to all that believe..." May God grant us all who believe a blessed time as we rejoice in the miraculous Incarnation of God being manifested in the flesh, as He came , "to seek and to save that which was lost." |
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“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” - Ezekiel 33:31 There is much in all of life that is not what it appears to be. On the surface, one could conclude it to be so. But, going deeper reveals something else altogether: sometimes sinister, sometimes deadly, or sometimes perverted– but always deceptive. James 1:22, says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own souls.” It is incredible how much effort we put into being deceived by others when ultimately the deception comes from within ourselves. Let’s cite some examples, though these are not the sum total of all that goes on in life. We are interested in buying or renting a house. We drive up and look at it from the outside, and check it over a second time. It is to our liking by what we see. Then we go inside and inspect the rooms, the flooring, the appliances, the a/c and heat. Our entire time of inspecting however, is on the basis of the outside only. We go ahead and get the house, and slowly and surely discover major and expensive problems that were there had we checked. The house was not what it appeared to be. The same is true with things, or groups, or churches, or people. We can, and should try to check out as much as we can about those we become involved with, but even then we do not know the extent of everything. There is an element of trust involved, yet we must always remember Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The LORD knows the hearts of all people, but we do not know the extent of what our hearts are capable of. The examples of this are so numerous, we could take years citing them all, and by then, there would be a whole new list. May this serve as a warning to each of us: things and people may not be what or who they appear to be. Impulsive action on our part, based on primarily the external, can injure or cause us to compromise or worse, destroy our testimonies for Christ. |
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