For the Love.......

The day of Christmas is fast approaching..and I am not panic stricken by the fact that I am not ready! I know I should be..but I have made a vow to myself that this year is not going to be about what all the "holiday" junk is..and I am putting the real reason for the celebration of this holiday into perspective. What does this mean? Well, I will tell you...no mad dashing from store to store at the last minute to get the perfect gift....no licking envelopes and piling up cards to everyone I got one from last year and all my co-workers..a simple "Merry Christmas" will suffice or an e-mail message. I am focusing on the One we are supposed to be celebrating and I am going to do my best to carry the Spirit of Christmas past that day and on into the new year. I hope no one is offended when they don't get a card or present from me this year...It is not because I don't love them and am not thinking of them....It is because I want to not let the meaning of Christmas be about the what but about the Who the day is about...Merry Christmas and whether you have a tree or no tree...many gifts or few gifts....music or silence...It doesn't matter..as long as you keep in mind that it is Christmas and not just a Happy Holiday..and we can give gifts that are intangible..such as love, caring and just be peaceful with our neighbors and friends. If we could have peace in the world, would we not forfeit all the things we think are so important? If we could know for sure we are loved..would that not mean more to us than a new toaster or an ipod..something you may want to ask yourself this Christmas!

Celebrating a King

December 12, 2007 by ruthrap

The closer it gets to Christmas, the more I realize that this year I am just not prepared for the business and the usual stress that comes with this time of year. The reason being…this year I am not getting caught up in all that! My family is going to be really surprised when the Day gets here..there aren’t going to be loads of gifts under the tree, Christmas cards are not going to clutter my desk. This year I am dedicating Christmas to the One who the holiday commemorates..Jesus Christ. I want to be constantly aware of why we have Christmas..and it is not going to be about the tree, Santa..snowmen and reindeer…it is going to be about a loving King who came into the world …from a very humble beginning ..not in a palace or grandiose mansion. ..but in a lowly stable…a place certainly not fitting for a King. He was predicted many years before He came. The angels rejoiced…Kings came from afar to behold Him and a star was place in the sky to direct them to the place where He lay. The birth of our Saviour is the most remarkable event ever to occur in the history of mankind! Even more remarkable was His sacrifice on the cross for us! Christmas won’t be about anything but revering this gracious King this year…all else seems so insignificant in comparison to Him! That is what my Christmas is about this year!

Love

In the book of Romans, Paul tells us that we cannot be separated from the love of God. So what is the problem? The problem is our acceptance of that love! We have a problem accepting that much love. Why? You would think that being loved would be something that we would want. Especially being loved by the One who created us.
I think that we have a problem accepting God's infinite love, because we often feel unworthy of it. Have you ever received something from someone that you felt you didn't deserve? For whatever reason...something you did, something you are doing, your thoughts and actions can make you feel unworthy of love. Love not only from God, but from even those close to you. Guilt can cause you to reject love. You fail to realize that God loved you so much, He made a way for your forgiveness and gave a Sacrifice to cover your sin and guilt. So, whenever you feel unloved or guilt ridden..remind yourself of the infinite love that comes only from God. The proof of that love is so evident in Jesus. He is Emmanuel...that means God with us. Think about it! God loved us so much..He came down to dwell on the earth, just because He wanted us to come back to Him.
The vastness of His love is never ending! We don't have to feel unloved because of what He did for us! All that is required is our acceptance of that love. This Christmas, think about what that means! Christmas is all about love...the giving of it...but, most of all the receiving of it! Don't have Christmas without it!