Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Greetings all,
It’s that time of year again, Christmas time. The most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes. I was driving down the road the other day listening to the radio, the song “Oh Holy Night” started playing. Not only is that one of my favorite Christmas songs, but one of my favorite songs of all time. About half way through the song the choirs sings that line “Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace”. I’ve heard that choirs a thousand times before, but for some reason, this time it really struck a cord with me. There is so much in that little line. “Truly He taught us to love one another”. That really sums up His ministry here on earth. He taught us this by example and His words from the Father. What does the Father desire? That we become like his Son Jesus Christ. Now I don’t know about you, but this time of the year it always seems easier to love other people, or at least be a little nicer. We seem to have more patience with people; we are more generous with our time and money. What hit me when I heard that choirs this time was; why does this seem to apply only at this time of the year. It’s almost like Christmas is an extended Sunday. You know what I mean, in church you’re a much nicer person. Once church is over, and you’re back out into the world, that church face starts to come off after a few hours. Come Monday your back into the same ole rut. Christmas season is the same way. We put on our Christmas face during the holidays, then once the season has passed, off comes the mask.
Yes, Christmas is a time of celebration, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But is He lord and savior only on Sundays and Christmas. If you call Christ your Lord and savior, then your life is not your own. His spilled blood paid for your life, in full. What ever you do, this must be done in His name. His laws now become your laws; His gospel now becomes your gospel. I don’t need to remind you what Christ says about being lukewarm in Rev. 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” The word “spit” used here in Greek “emeo” means to vomit. Lukewarm Christians make the Lord want to vomit, not a pretty picture is it.
I think a lot of it is this time of the year there are constant reminders all around us that it’s Christmas time. Even as you go about your busy day, around every corner you are reminded. Because of this flooding of reminders, we become more Christ like. You don’t even have to pick up a bible; it’s a natural thing that happens if His spirit lives in you.
Wow! I was just thinking about how truly hard it is to be a true follower of Christ here is America. We are taught from an early age what it means to be successful in life. A nice big home, 2 cars in the garage, a nice 401K package so that we can retire in peace and comfort. Oh! And don’t forget the 50” HD TV, so we can see the commercials clearer that pollute our minds with the idea that unless we get this, or have that, then we are less of a person. This is ideal is even taught in our churches. I’m not stating that God does not want you to have nice things. God loves blessing His children, but these blessings are passed down so that we can bless other people. To help those less fortunate and in need, in His Holy name.
Somewhere along the way the movement of Jesus Christ became a sort of civilized Christianity. We created a religion using the name of Jesus Christ and convinced ourselves that God’s optimal desire for our lives was to insulate us in a spiritual bubble where we risk nothing, sacrifice nothing, lose nothing, and worry about nothing. The original message of Jesus was so simple, so clean, and so clear: “Follow Me.” He wants us to surrender our lives to Him and follow Him into the unknown. And if it means a life of suffering, hardship, and disappointment, it will be worth it, because following Jesus Christ is more powerful and more fulfilling than living with everything in the world, minus Him.
Please don’t get me wrong here; I’m as guilty as the rest of the world. I just wanted to share what I was feeling. Nothing written here is meant to make anyone feel guilty, that is not the purpose of this newsletter. We all fall short! And I more than anyone needs to practice what I preach. The purpose of the letter is more of a reminder I guess. Just like this time of the year is filled with reminders of whom we are truly meant to be, or should I say, be like.
To all my family and friends, I pray that the living God will fill you with His spirit, revealing the truth of His love. Ok, one last thing on that note. A few years ago, one of my sons passed away, Brett was 17 when he died. The last 2 weeks of his life were spent in the hospital. During that time he died twice, both times the doctors were able to bring him back. The second time he was brought back, when he opened his eyes, the first thing he said to the nurse was “do you know how much God really loves you”. He told us that he saw the Kingdom, he actually described it just how the bible describes it. Brett was glowing with the glory of God. Brett had been in His presence, and he was glowing with it. I’m not just saying this because it’s what I wanted to believe, there were other people there who witnessed this as well.
Ok, I promise that’s all. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. And remember, He taught us to love one another.
Love,Tim
