My day started out like any other day --- totally open and receptive to anything God wanted me to do or anywhere He wanted me to go. The only thing that I had on my own agenda was to write this month’s article about this most incredible divine appointment which I encountered on my trip to Missouri last week. I grabbed a coffee and parked myself at my computer. Naturally, I was going to check my e-mail first. BIG mistake!
I should never have opened the first one. It was from a well known ministry that sends out ‘daily devotionals’. Quite often there would be things that would make me flinch but today it really saddened me when they quoted the Dalai Lama who is the top spiritual leader and guru in the Buddhist faith. "WHY in the world would they DO THAT?!!" I wondered? I contacted them and asked, "Could you not find a CHRISTIAN that is worth quoting? ... and by the way, please remove me from your mailing list."
I’m certain you can tell what kind of frame of mind this put me in. Sweet, passive, wishy-washy and don’t-make-any-waves was not the order of the day. People assure me constantly that I really am ‘nice’ but I know that I can be like a bull in a China shop and this was certainly one time that I did not intend to mince words.
My next big mistake was to open a ‘forwarded’ e-mail. This was no ordinary e-mail. This one was different. This one caused my blood to boil and sparks to shoot out from my eyes. "Well, there goes my inspiration to write ‘A Most Amazing Thing Happened To Me On My Way to Missouri’ article," I thought to myself. Then it hit me... ‘THIS is MAJOR inspiration!’. THIS is my passion. THIS is what keeps my motor running and my blood pumping and spurs me on in this race to continually contend for the faith because of all the nonsense that has swept into the lives, hearts and spirits of Christians who are being sucked into this deep, dark cesspool of error and confusion which is totally void of Christ.
The e-mail was entitled, ‘Sleep In Heavenly Peace’ and showed a picture of Santa Clause taking a nap with a tiny baby on his chest who was dressed in a similar Santa suit. So far this was nothing to get cuckoo over but the caption that followed certainly did the trick. It said, ‘This is perhaps the cutest Christmas photo going around this year. Please spread throughout the world for everyone to see, so that maybe...just maybe, someday our world will be as peaceful as this. Merry Christmas!!!"
Do you not think, that maybe, just maybe, it’s the GOSPEL that should be spread throughout the world by Christians? I know it’s NOT the Dalai Lama that was given that assignment! This is the ONE time of the year that we can really push the envelope with our friends and family about the Babe in the Manger, who IS the TRUE Prince of Peace, and they cannot even accuse us of preaching at them because it is, of course, Jesus’ birthday that we are supposed to be celebrating.
I began typing so fast I thought my keyboard would start smoking. I wrote back to this friend and included a picture of the baby Jesus laying in a manger with four little white lambs surrounding His humble makeshift crib. It is His picture, Emmanuel´s, who’s name means ‘God with Us’, that should be sent throughout the world for everyone to see and hear and know that the Creator of the Universe came to save us from our sins and reconcile us to Himself.
Just when I thought that it could not get any worse I noticed one more ‘ELFyourself’ Christmas greeting from yet another Christian who thought it was funny to place themselves and their family members into Elf suits and sing and dance to the tune of Jingle Bells. If you are one of them, please forgive me for pointing out that you might want to rethink your Christmas message. I love to have fun. I love a good time. People assure me that I have a wonderful sense of humor and I often roll on the floor laughing until my sides hurt, but NOT at the expense of Christ.
Throughout history God’s people have been martyred and are being martyred for spreading the message of Christ to the world so how dare we waste such a God-given opportunity, in a totally free society, to lift up the name of Jesus and trivialize this most glorious time of year.
Santa Clause has been replacing Jesus for centuries. Now we have Christians flippantly substituting Santa in the place of Jesus and don’t see the danger of putting Santa in the manger. A most sacred manger that was reserved solely for our Lord. It breaks my heart. I can’t imagine what it does to God’s. I know the angels must be sobbing.Shouldn´t Christians of all people be glorifying Jesus and shouting from the rooftops that without Him there can be no CHRISTmas and outside of Him there can be no peace? It can’t come through Santa. It won’t come through the Dalai Lama.
So let us HAIL, let us HONOR, let us PRAISE, let us ESTEEM, let us EXALT, let us give GLORY TO and PROMOTE at every opportunity, the Lord or Lords and King of Kings!
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