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Christmas Presents, or Christ’s Power? Christmas 2005 could be just another holiday celebrated with lighted trees and gifts wrapped in bright colored paper. Or it could be a time of heartfelt reflection upon the fact that God gave us His only begotten Son because He was so concerned about the condition and the fate of the sin-filled people. (1Jo 3:5 KJV) “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” Anyone who has experienced the forgiveness for sins through the grace of Jesus Christ would tell you that there is no greater gift, no greater joy, and no greater reason to celebrate Christmas. Christmas is much more cherished when viewed as a holy day instead of a holiday. In fact, many people have become greatly frustrated with the Christmas holiday because of financial difficulties and the pressures of satisfying the expectations of others. Those feelings of frustration can only come when the true joy of Christmas has been stolen from us. John 10:10 (KJV) “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.” The real adversary of our Christmas joy is not Mr. Scrooge, nor is it “the Grinch,” it is devil. The devil knows that the greatest way to steal our joy of Christmas is to convince us to fall back into sin. 1John 3:8 (KJV) “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” The word of God is true, and the truth will make us free. Sin is of the devil, but it is destroyed when we follow our Lord Jesus Christ. The power of Christ can flow freely in our lives when we choose to thank God for the deliverance from sin, instead of giving into temptations that lead us back into captivity. Though the thanksgiving turkey may all be gone, there is still plenty of time to start giving thanks to God, as well as preparing our hearts for the real reason for this Christmas season. As always, it is our choice as individuals to believe and apply our lives to what we hear, but those who choose Christmas presents instead of Christ’s power may just find themselves having more fun during Halloween dressing up like devils. -Kurt Thurston December Newsletter 2005 | Comfort Through Rest | Christmas Presents, or Christ's Power? Pastor's Journal December 2004 | Eye of a Needle part 1 of 3 | Church as Spiritual Zion part 3 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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