"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." 1 Timothy 6:6-7 When you have been brought up to have everything at your beck and call. When you have been daddies girl, and all you had to do was smile, contentment is not an easy thing to learn. We are living in a world that the more things we have the better people we are. The more things we have the more popular we are. The more we have the more we want. As my son hears others speak about Christmas he gets angry. He says, "Here are teenagers who all they have to talk about is what I am getting for Christmas. He says, "Its not about what you get but what you give." Christmas isn't about running up your credit card to buy gifts with money you do not have that will take you all year to pay for. Christmas is about Jesus Christ our Savior. Its not about Santa Claus, there is no such thing. When I was little I remember sitting on Santa's lap thinking he was so real, until one year I sat on the knee of a woman. Her hair was sticking out and I knew she was not Santa. My heart was broken as a child, not so much because Santa wasn't real, but because my parents had told me he was. So as I had children we never did Santa Claus, we watched the Christmas cartoons, but they knew there was no Santa, that our gifts, our real gifts come from Jesus. For me, I lie to my child about Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and as they get older and realize I lied to them, what is to make them believe me when I speak of Jesus and His love? We have commercialized Christmas to where it not about Jesus anymore, it is all about getting great gifts, the more the better. For our children, it has almost always been that their father was layed off from Thanksgiving to a few months into the year, so presents were not big. Our presents came from our hearts and meant something special, we had a great dinner together, went outside and played football or built a snowman, maybe even playing a game they got for Christmas. So much of the meaning is gone now. We are such material people. We base our value as a person on the things we have. We came into this world with nothing, and we will go out with nothing. Love comes from the heart, love is meaningful, and real without all the glitz and diamonds. It is not how many pairs of shoes we have, or how many purses, how new our truck is, and if our new boat is bigger than the neighbors. The things of this world fade away, now Jesus, He is here forever. If I am to be honest, I love gifts just as much as I love to give them. I love to make gifts for others, for I know my hands made them with the gifts that God gave me. Anyone can run out and buy a sweater, but when you hold in your hand a sweater that someone took the time to make you, it takes on a whole new meaning. As we watch all the jewelry commercials during the holiday season, as we see the stores with their big sales, can you find Jesus in the mix of the bustle and hustle? We can celebrate Christmas with any giving of a gift at all, but by sharing time together, sharing stories of the past, and praising our Savior for His birth. Its a time to reflect on Him, not us. And it has become to where the reflection is taken off of Him and placed on which gift do I want to right on my list. For me, I am learning to put the material things down. I know for my son, if at Christmas all he had got to do was go to church, and then spend the whole day with his brother and sisters, having them home, seeing his dad smile and his momma let the tears flow in joy, would be one great Christmas for him. Jesus is the reason for the season, have you seen this everywhere? It is a true statement, one that is being hidden by the commercialism of just what you deserve for Christmas. So this Christmas, think upon what is real and true, think about giving as Jesus gave, not just what am I getting. May we realize we really deserve nothing, but realizing just all that Jesus gave so we could live, so we could laugh and enjoy the life that was given to us so freely~ Hebrews 12:2 " Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Monday, November 23, 2009
material world
"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." 1 Timothy 6:6-7 When you have been brought up to have everything at your beck and call. When you have been daddies girl, and all you had to do was smile, contentment is not an easy thing to learn. We are living in a world that the more things we have the better people we are. The more things we have the more popular we are. The more we have the more we want. As my son hears others speak about Christmas he gets angry. He says, "Here are teenagers who all they have to talk about is what I am getting for Christmas. He says, "Its not about what you get but what you give." Christmas isn't about running up your credit card to buy gifts with money you do not have that will take you all year to pay for. Christmas is about Jesus Christ our Savior. Its not about Santa Claus, there is no such thing. When I was little I remember sitting on Santa's lap thinking he was so real, until one year I sat on the knee of a woman. Her hair was sticking out and I knew she was not Santa. My heart was broken as a child, not so much because Santa wasn't real, but because my parents had told me he was. So as I had children we never did Santa Claus, we watched the Christmas cartoons, but they knew there was no Santa, that our gifts, our real gifts come from Jesus. For me, I lie to my child about Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and as they get older and realize I lied to them, what is to make them believe me when I speak of Jesus and His love? We have commercialized Christmas to where it not about Jesus anymore, it is all about getting great gifts, the more the better. For our children, it has almost always been that their father was layed off from Thanksgiving to a few months into the year, so presents were not big. Our presents came from our hearts and meant something special, we had a great dinner together, went outside and played football or built a snowman, maybe even playing a game they got for Christmas. So much of the meaning is gone now. We are such material people. We base our value as a person on the things we have. We came into this world with nothing, and we will go out with nothing. Love comes from the heart, love is meaningful, and real without all the glitz and diamonds. It is not how many pairs of shoes we have, or how many purses, how new our truck is, and if our new boat is bigger than the neighbors. The things of this world fade away, now Jesus, He is here forever. If I am to be honest, I love gifts just as much as I love to give them. I love to make gifts for others, for I know my hands made them with the gifts that God gave me. Anyone can run out and buy a sweater, but when you hold in your hand a sweater that someone took the time to make you, it takes on a whole new meaning. As we watch all the jewelry commercials during the holiday season, as we see the stores with their big sales, can you find Jesus in the mix of the bustle and hustle? We can celebrate Christmas with any giving of a gift at all, but by sharing time together, sharing stories of the past, and praising our Savior for His birth. Its a time to reflect on Him, not us. And it has become to where the reflection is taken off of Him and placed on which gift do I want to right on my list. For me, I am learning to put the material things down. I know for my son, if at Christmas all he had got to do was go to church, and then spend the whole day with his brother and sisters, having them home, seeing his dad smile and his momma let the tears flow in joy, would be one great Christmas for him. Jesus is the reason for the season, have you seen this everywhere? It is a true statement, one that is being hidden by the commercialism of just what you deserve for Christmas. So this Christmas, think upon what is real and true, think about giving as Jesus gave, not just what am I getting. May we realize we really deserve nothing, but realizing just all that Jesus gave so we could live, so we could laugh and enjoy the life that was given to us so freely~ Hebrews 12:2 " Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
