Tag Archive | Jesus

Christmas and Fiery Darts?

Dec22

Secular Iconic Christmas image

What do fiery darts have to do with Christmas anyway?

   Maybe I should ask another question.

Is there anything about the way we here in America celebrate Christmas that bothers you? Whoa! Hold on, I can’t type that fast!

   Yes, it does seem that we have lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas. So much so, that we find ourselves in the midst of a cultural war  attempting to prevent us from even saying Merry Christmas in public places. 

   You see, Satan’s hidden agenda (Um, maybe not so hidden anymore) is to get us to focus more (a lot more) on Santa or some magical substitutional Christmas spirit than we do Jesus. Eventually, pushing Jesus out of the picture altogether, I’m sure!

   That is just a sampling of the problems with which we contend during Christmas. And if we aren’t careful  fiery darts like frustration, depression, selfishness, loneliness, greed, stress, or anger and certainly the lack of personal and world peace will find us vulnerable targets!

   The side affects of an over-commercialized Christmas are burdensome but added to that the persecution of Christians, especially in middle eastern countries, the heaviness of such a load is more than any of us could carry and the joy of Christmas seems beyond our grasp. 

But do not despair!

Armed with the following Truth thoughts we can wage a successful war on such fiery darts  and reclaim the blessedness of Christmas in spite of the darkness that tempts us to despair.  

   Jesus came to this earth as a baby, grew up and preached to all He could that God had sent Him to save the world. He accomplished this by dying on the cross and coming back to life–that’s what we refer to as the Resurrection. When we accept that personally then we have the promised hope of heaven and peace reigns in our hearts. (Fiery darts fizzle in the face of such Truth!)

And there’s absolutely nothing about Santa or a Christmas spirit that can compare to that; much less change that.

   We have the ability by God’s grace to resist the fiery darts, like the ones I mentioned previously, that accompanies an over-commercialized Christmas, and, instead, partake of the splendors of a Christmas centered on the love, joy, and peace inspired by faith in the Christ-child. 

And what about the cultural war on Christmas? Do you realize that all this upheaval only serves to broadcast the good news to anyone who has ears to listen. (I call that a fiery dart that backfired)

   Does the persecution tempt you to despair? Listen my dear readers, as horrible as it is, remember this–when a Christian leaves this earth they have Jesus and heaven waiting on them. For those they leave behind, this is their comfort! And their loved ones who believe in Jesus too, have the confidence that at some point in the future they will be reunited.

And why is this?

   Because a babe was born in a manger! 

Religious Icon of Christmas

Do I focus more on what concerns me rather than what concerns Jesus?

Oct31

Wow, that’s a soul searching, thought provoking question!

   As Christians, of course, we expect God to care about what concerns us. Scripture assures us of this over and over. But for quite some time now, it seems I am being challenged to consider an additional question:

Am I as focused on what concerns Jesus as I am about what concerns me?

   When I am faced with a problem too often I will be more concerned over how this is going to affect me personally rather than how is it going to affect Jesus. And oh how the fiery darts will attempt to lock my thoughts into focusing more on myself rather than Jesus in these types of situations.

   If focusing on what concerns Jesus, causes me to have to consider giving up something I thought I wanted (or maybe deserved) or humbling myself in a difficult situation then it becomes a struggle to focus on Jesus’s concern. My concerns might get ignored, right? (Fiery dart there you know) 

Consider this verse:

Rom 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

   The idea of being heirs of God with Christ is indeed attractive but not so much to share in His sufferings.  So perhaps I am willing to focus on Christ as long as it doesn’t require me to do something I don’t want to do, make me uncomfortable, or require me to make a sacrifice I am unwilling to make. When focusing on Jesus begins to cost me something, then I hesitate, because my will often takes priority over Jesus’s will.

Therefore, the following prayer has become necessary for me:

Dear LORD, Help me to be more focused on what concerns Jesus rather than being more focused on what concerns me.

   Do you suppose that if we became more focused on what concerned Jesus then we would discover that our concerns were being covered by Christ and that He was doing a more successful job of it that we ever could?

 

 

 

Beware of the easter bunny!

Apr17

Hold on, this isn’t a blog condemning the secular celebration of our most cherished Christian holiday! 

(Please read on!)

If it was, some of you would be rolling your eyes  about now and you would be preparing to hit that little ‘x’ to close this tab.  But not to worry!  I am a grandmother of nine incredibly wonderful and fascinating grandchildren.  The oldest being 9 and the youngest being 17 months.  So I’m pretty confident that eggs will be dyed, hidden, and hunted for around this country home come Sunday.

But there will be something a little different!

What will stand out about my family’s celebration of Easter will be the difference in our focus.  Yes, we have small children who are of the prime age to gather colorful and decorated eggs for their baskets! And, of course, there will be chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and Cadbury eggs, etc.  They will all look stunningly adorable in their new Easter outfits. But while those things are fun, they are not my family’s focus when it comes to celebrating Easter.

So, what’s the difference?

The children are young in this family, but no one is too young to understand why Easter is such a special celebration.  And the emphasis in our family is that Jesus Christ died for our sins; came back to life; and after spending a little more time on this earth, He went to heaven.  That’s why we have the hope of heaven after our time here on this earth is ended.

Here’s some ideas from my first born daughter about sharing the Easter story with your children, and a really cute and fun game to help them grasp the resurrection.  Enjoy:

Tell them the Truth:

 Make sure your children (whatever their ages!) know these things about Jesus this week. Make sure they hear YOU tell them about God creating them, sin stealing them, Satan threatening them, & Jesus rescuing them! Don’t freak ’em out, just tell them the Truth. Let Easter come to life for them (& for you!). Let it become more than just a candy holiday they celebrate in Spring. Let them see, it’s their story…

A Fun Game to Play!

Look for empty things!! & Every time you find an empty thing, cheer “Hallelujah! The tomb is empty!”

Make a game of it by…
* Putting a sticker/mark on a card every time someone finds something empty & cheers. Count the stickers later & see who found the most. Maybe give a prize
* Putting a jelly bean in a jar every time someone finds something empty & cheers. On Easter Sunday eat all the jelly beans

…Have fun finding (& celebrating) Jesus in plain ole ordinary life

The fiery dart of Easter is that young children cannot grasp Jesus’s death and resurrection and how that relates to them and their future.  Therefore, we tell them the story of the Easter Bunny which is a simple cute story easier for them to grasp.

Sure they are young and there is much about Easter that is beyond them (remember how there is a common sense ‘truth’ in fiery darts! ! ! FD p 20) But if we bring it down to their level, they will understand far more than the fiery dart will allow us to believe.   If all our children know about Easter is bunnies, jelly beans, colored eggs, or new outfits, then they have missed totally the most significant event if Christendom. And if they miss that then they have missed everything!