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Christmas is the time of year when everyone stops their normal routines and become either more joyful and contemplative, or more sad, lonely and depressed. It depends on the family you are a part of or the family that you don't have. It also depends on your faith, your belief in God, and your hope for the world.
With the world the way that it is today, in the age of terrorism, and big government take overs, and stimulus packages, and rising unemployment, and the economy in general, many people wonder what there is to be joyful about.
But perhaps that is all the more reason to celebrate Christmas this year, because we are in such a precarious position. In spite of all the doom and gloom out there, there still is one huge ray of hope. And it is comes in the person of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, and the one who is to come back and restore this fallen world to Paradise. So, regardless of what you see happening around you, in the invisible world there is Faith, Hope and Love, for all eternity.
There are those of you who do not believe in Jesus Christ, and who follow a different God. I am not going to say that you are right, because you are not. There is only one God, and one Savior, and one way to get to Heaven. And it cannot be found in a wooden statue or a plastic Buddha.
God was wise not to allow us to see what he really looks like. And that is because without seeing Him we know that He exists in spiritual form. And that when we die we too will exist is "spiritual form" and these physical bodies of ours will return to the dust and the ground that they came from.
So, when you shop this Christmas, take time to contemplate what Christmas is really all about. True, we give to each other gifts of love and gratitude. Sometimes we give gifts because we have to, and it is the custom. But is it not hypocritical to give a gift to someone you don't really like, but you do anyway because you "got their name" this year?
What is the true meaning behind any Christmas gift? Do you know? Do you care? Are you giving a gift to someone so that they will like you and think more highly of you? Are you giving a gift to someone out of habit?
If we really understand what Jesus was all about, well then the first thing we need to understand is that He is all about TRUTH. And He is LOVE, and HE is LIGHT and LIFE. And Christmas after all is SUPPOSED to be celebrating HIS BIRTHDAY, not ours.
So I ask you. If Jesus was going to be in your house on Christmas morning observing you opening your presents and your family opening theirs, what would He think? And what present would you give Him?
Christmas is NOT ABOUT "things", or accumulation of expensive items. And if there was a time capsule put in the earth today depicting what our society does at Christmas time, what would the future generation think that it was? Do you think they would think it was about the birth of Christ, the Savior of the World who came to save us from eternal death?
Or, do you think they would think it was about the latest gadget, the most expensive jewelry, or the most shocking DVD and video. Does our music and movies, and television reflect Christ's birth? Or do they merely reflect our own human image and how glorious we think we are?
Lots to think about right? So, what gift would you give Jesus for His birthday this year if He came to your house? What do you think would make Him the happiest, and give Him the most hope?
Our government is now corrupt. We have taken prayer and God out of the schools. We have a President who openly states that we "are not a Christian nation" although this nation was founded on Christian values and principles. We are NOT MUSLIMS, we DO NOT WORSHIP ALLAH, and we are not terrorists, or communists. WE ARE CHRISTIANS.
In light of all that has happened in the last few years in America, I think that the greatest gift we could give to Jesus, this Christmas, on HIS BIRTHDAY is a promise to bring Him back into our lives, into our government, into our schools, and into our homes and families. And we could tell Him that He is going to be first in our lives and that we consider him our ONLY HOPE and our ONLY CHANGE, and our ONLY FUTURE.
So, when you spend money on Christmas this year, stop and contemplate what your gift really means, why you are giving it, and who you are giving it to.
Patricia Jones, M.A.
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