Awed Or Odd?
It’s Christmas morning, O dark thirty. Not a creature is stirring…but me. I woke thinking about the original Christmas, which had little to no fanfare. The only display of lights and decorations was “the star in the East” that guided the wisemen to the manger where the King of Kings lay as a newborn. I’m saddened by how far we have fallen from the real meaning of Christmas; that of the birth of a Savior to repair the breach between man and God caused by sin.
When the true story of Christmas is told, that of a loving God wanting to restore peace on earth by giving us the only means—His Son Jesus—through whom we can approach a holy God, and we reject Him, then I have to scratch my head and think “How foolish, how odd that we believe Satan’s lie about a despot God just waiting to pounce and destroy us because of our sin, instead of being awed by the fantastic truth of Jesus’ birth.”
Our world has slid so far
down the “wide road that leads to destruction” (Matt. 7:13), and adopted a lifestyle that suggests a one-way highway with no U-turns or off-ramps, that the future is dim. We embrace all forms of deviant sexual aberrations while accusing our Creator of making a mistake at our birth. We reject authority, while whining about our “rights.” We shrink back from accountability. Riots over the least perceived wrong fill our streets with hatred, misunderstanding, and violence.
The true message of Christmas has never been more needed than today. Yet we go about our preparations for holiday celebrations with air-filled Santas, reindeer on roofs, food prep, presents we can’t afford, tinsel and garlands, and many other “odd” habits while overlooking the heart of Christmas: God’s love.
My friends, God’s patience is legendary.
But it has a limit. The Bible tells us, “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” (Isa. 55:6), implying there is coming a day when God withdraws His offer. “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Turn to my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; and you neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof; I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept my counsel, they spurned all my reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil. (Prov. 1:23-33)
Christmas is about God’s indescribable love
for His creation. If you’re reading this, it’s not too late to turn from your rejection of Jesus Christ and come to the only place you can be restored: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb.4:16). If we’re not living in “a time of need,” I don’t know what it will take to convince you. Don’t wait. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anybody.
I’ll leave you with this Christmas present. You can make odd choices that condemn your future. Or you can be awed by the grace and mercy of a loving God who offers to us who don’t deserve it, eternity with Him for the simple act of coming to Him, on His terms, confessing your sin, and believing that Jesus paid for your new life. The choice is yours. For more on God’s perspective, visit our Steps To Salvation page.