When Is Christmas Not Christmas?

"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:10-12)

I just came in a few moments ago from the living room, beloved, where I saw on the early morning news one of the saddest stories out of our nation's capital that I have ever seen. The "franking commission" of our federal government has decreed that no member of Congress is allowed to wish his or her constituents "Merry Christmas" by mail using the franking privilege of office to do so. It is now considered a federal endorsement of religion for our nation's leaders to say "Merry Christmas" through the mail! You will not be surprised to learn that the first draft of these devotional thoughts was the result of that bit of national news.

So that begs the question: "When is Christmas not Christmas?" And the obvious answer? Christmas is not Christmas whenever people in this land forget for whom Christmas has been established! Have you noticed that this beloved holiday season has never been called "Clause-mas"? "Tree-mas"? "Ho, ho, ho-mas"? "Elf-mas"? "Reindeer-mas"? There is a reason for that, beloved. It is called "Christmas" because it is all about the person of Jesus Christ! And when any government, even that of the greatest nation on the face of the earth, forgets that fact then Christmas ceases to be Christmas.

Note the tragedy that unfolds in the words of the Apostle John as you see them printed here. The first step that leads inevitably to Christmas no longer being Christmas is that of people not knowing Him. In recent years our leaders seem to have done all that they can to put the national finger to the national lips in one resounding "Shhh!" of silence each time that anyone wants to mention the name of Jesus Christ aloud! Those who seem most intent upon protecting our national conscience have only succeeded in steering this nation away from the very faith upon which it was founded more than two centuries ago. Collectively as a people and individually as citizens, the sad fact is that each new generation of Americans simply does not know about Jesus Christ, must less know Him personally.

And when men and women and boys and girls no longer know Him, the second step in this tragic turn of events comes into play - we do not receive Him. Where people may not speak of Him publicly for fear of offending someone else' belief structure, it will not be long before His name is no longer present. Yet that seems to be the goal of these disastrous national decisions that are being levied one by one upon us as a people. The intent seems to be to remove the name of Jesus Christ completely from the lips, minds, and hearts of the nation.

The good news is, however, that to whatever extent the name of Jesus is squashed and squelched, to some extent there will always be those faithful ones who will stand up valiantly and proclaim His name joyfully whether anyone listens or not. These are those who have received Him, as John went on to say, those who are part of the family of God through faith in this very same Jesus whose name is now largely forbidden in public circles. These are those whom no federal decree or court decision will ever be able to silence. These are those who will sing and proclaim loudly come what may - Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!

I don't know for how much longer the internet will be safe from such restrictions as occurred today in Washington, D.C., beloved, and that really does not matter to me. I want to extend to each one of you a very Merry Christmas in the name of Jesus Christ, the One concerning whom this season has any meaning at all. Let Christmas be Christmas and let every true believer rejoice that, indeed, the Lord has come!

Ron

Social Security?

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men" (Romans 12:18)

Social Security - now there's a term that brings different reactions from people who hear it! As one who is now myself benefiting from Social Security income, it has amazed me to hear of late this benefit described as an "entitlement" despite the fact that as one of its recipients I have paid into it for my entire working life! Just how does something for which one has prepaid become an "entitlement"? But that mystery, beloved, will have to remain a subject for another day and another venue.

What I would like to share with you in this edition of devotional thoughts concerns the real "social security." About this God's Word has much to say to us today! In his letter to the believers in Rome the Apostle Paul dealt with a variety of relational or "social" issues that need our focus today as Christians. In verses 14 through 18 note the "action" words associated with what we can rightly call true "social security." These are matters that make for the kind of social security that we need desperately in this world of sin, beloved!

Note first here the basic command to "be at peace" with everyone. The security of any society depends upon its members learning to get along, to live in peace with each other. Nations with nations, states with states, counties with counties, cities with cities, and communities with communities - it all comes down to what each one of us does to maintain peace with each other. Paul has already dealt with the how of this command in such exhortations as these:

Bless and do not curse (v. 14)
Rejoice with those who rejoice (v. 15)
Weep with those who weep (v. 15)
Be of the same mind toward one another (v. 16)
Do not be haughty in mind (v. 16)
Associate with the lowly (v. 16)
Do not be wise in your own estimation (v. 16)
Never pay back evil for evil (v. 17)
Respect what is right (v. 17)

All of these are part and parcel of what it takes for us to "be at peace with all men," beloved. This is the road to genuine social security as followers of Jesus Christ. Note, however, that Paul makes clear that it will not always be possible for us to accomplish such security - "if possible, so far as it depends on you." Not everyone will respond positively every time to your attempts to be at peace. That is simply a fact of life and should not discourage you nor cause you to quit. Take comfort in the reality that in each situation of life you have done all that you could to be at peace with those around you.

Social security is a wonderful gift, beloved, and I am not talking about the check that comes every month to those of us who are 62 years of age or older. I am speaking of that blessed sense of true peace that brings harmony and unity among brethren when we determine to live God's way. Enjoy your social security, beloved!

Ron

A Gentle Reminder

"Put your hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all, and especially of those who believe. Teach these things" (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

I was reminded recently about something I had forgotten, beloved, namely that there is a reason for all that we do as Christians and likewise for all that we endure along the way. I was thinking back over the span of my life, specifically of the years of ministry as a preacher and teacher of God's Word, and seeking to evaluate to this point what had been and had not been accomplished. I happened to be standing where my gaze could fall upon a small memento that I was given as a gift along the way, a wooden paper weight upon which is mounted a small silver shepherd's crook below which appears the word "Pastor" along with the Scripture passage listed above. I am not even sure of the particular translation from which this reading comes. But all of a sudden, I realized that the Spirit of God had given to my heart one of His amazing "gentle reminders" of what is really important in life. I cannot describe for you the sense of reassurance that it spoke to my heart!

I believe with all my heart that God is constantly putting such "gentle reminders" in our pathway, beloved, each one intended to keep our thinking and living focused upon the road that He has set before us. As the Apostle Paul reminded the believers in Ephesus, we have before us a life of "good works" which God has "prepared beforehand" and in which He wants us to walk as His servants (Ephesians 2:10). These gentle reminders, then, are intended to keep our attention fixed upon that life of service and those specific acts of ministry for the sake of His kingdom. So we can and should put our hope in the living God, trusting Him to keep us each stayed upon the path that He has for us to walk!

Have you been watching for those "gentle reminders" that the Spirit of God places in your path, beloved? What a blessing they are to us as we continually battle the wiles of Satan and his attempts to draw our focus away from where it needs to be! By our words and our deeds we have been commissioned to teach these things to others so that they too may stay on track and themselves watch for God's "gentle reminders."

Watch for them, beloved! God loves you and cares about your service too much not to remind you from time to time of all that is truly important in life. May God bless you and encourage your hearts as He points out to you His "gentle reminders" of His love for you and His plan for your life!

Ron

Always Time for Thanksgiving!

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Thanksgiving! What a wonderful time of year, beloved! Even as I write these thoughts to share with you, family members have arrived at our home and others are en route. I've got my "Grandpa" sweatshirt on and I'm ready to romp with grandkids. I love Thanksgiving!

God loves thanksgiving as well. More specifically, God loves your thanksgiving and mine! In fact, so vital is our thankfulness to God that He has commanded us to be thankful. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the saints in Thessalonica, we are to give thanks "in everything." Not for everything but in everything. No matter what we face in life - good times, bad times, happy times, sad times - we are to be thankful in heart and give thanks to Him.

And the realm in which it is God's will for us to give thanks is "in Christ Jesus." Within the realm of who Christ is and what He has done we find ample reason to give thanks from a grateful heart. You see, beloved, we can truly be thankful in every situation of life, not necessarily for that moment or its circumstances, but for the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and that everything happening in our world is moving steadily toward that ultimate moment when "every knee shall bow" and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

So as I anticipate the arrival in a couple of hours of more family members, I can be and actually am excited and so very thankful. Thankful for the blessings of life and family, thankful for the blessings of precious time spent together, and thankful most of all for the God who loves me and has redeemed me and who is in control of all that happens.

In everything give thanks. This is Thanksgiving and a glorious time of year it is! But how truly thankful are you, beloved, as you get ready to celebrate this precious holiday? The good news is that not only are we to give thanks "in everything" but because of who God is and what God has done for us we can truly be thankful in every situation of life and give Him the praise and honor and glory He so richly deserves. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And by the way, let me just take this opportunity to tell you how thankful I am to God for each one of you who has blessed my life by taking the time each week to read these devotional thoughts. What an encouragement you all are and I praise God for you!

Ron

Spreading Your Deposit Around

"The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2)

Having discovered in our previous time together what a wonderful blessing the truth of God's Word is to us, beloved, and how important it is for us to protect that wondrous "treasure" within our hearts, we turn now to consider a need that is beyond that of merely guarding what God has entrusted to us.

The Apostle Paul went on within this same portion of his letter to Timothy to exhort him to "entrust" the treasure of God's Word to others. The word "entrust" in the original language means to "put near" in the sense of committing something to someone as a sacred trust. Very simply, we are to take the "treasure" of God's Word and invest it in the lives of other people! We are to pass it on as we have so wondrously received it ourselves. The one common mistake that we too often make as Christians, beloved, is that we become "repositories" of truth, storing it away in our thoughts and memories. With our notes and our meditations we become libraries of divine truth.

But Paul here tells us that we are not merely to "archive" God's truth for use in our own lives. We are to deposit that truth in the lives of others. We are to become channels through which can flow the precious principles of daily living that are to energize our living as followers of Christ. In fact, the apostle told the saints in Ephesus that the literal growth of the body of Christ depends upon "what every joint supplies" (4:16).

One very important qualification is added to Paul's instructions, beloved. We are to seek out "faithful" saints with whom to place this sacred deposit of God's truth. The word "faithful" means those who have shown themselves to be reliable and dependable in living for Jesus Christ and His glory. I believe that what the apostle is talking about here is nothing less than a determined and concentrated effort on our part to be "disciplers" of new believers. We cannot be content to merely see others make a profession of faith but must do all that we can to train them in the truths of Christian living. We must not only, then, protect our own deposit but must pass that deposit to others who, as Paul goes on to say, may themselves "teach others also." It is the only way to insure the growth of believers in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are God's chosen "planters," the agents of His truth being invested in the lives of others. So pass it on, beloved, pass it on! The next generation is waiting!

Ron