Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 4)

I am presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

Take the time to read the first three if you have not done so already, then look at the final point which is posted below:

IV. REJOICE IN YOUR BLESSINGS
Philip. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him.

Someone rightly said that “Your attitude determines your altitude” –

There are a host of things we could put down here as being able to rejoice, especially for our salvation, but another obvious thing we can be thankful and rejoice about is:

A. The Blessing of Family

Statistic: Sources of Pleasure
What do people consider the greatest source of pleasure in their lives?
According to a 1989 study conducted for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Corporation, the overwhelming answer is “family,” selected by 63 percent of respondents.

Trailing far behind, receiving only a tenth of that response, were religious involvement (8 percent), work (6 percent), and friends (6 percent). Comments Dr. Lee Salk, clinical professor of psychology at Cornell, who interpreted the data: “Most Americans think of their families as the most important things in their lives.”
—Reported in USA Today, 10/10/89. “To Verify,” Leadership.

B. The Blessing of Provision

A person who is not grateful for what they have will never truly be grateful for what they may get. It might last for awhile, but we must realize that contentment comes from what we have on the inside, not what we might gain on the outside.

Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.
—Benjamin Franklin

Here’s a scripture on being content that perhaps you may have not heard:
Eccles. 4:6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Sometimes, we can get just a bit too caught up in the latest and greatest, and getting ahead, and we might just want to step back at times and say “why”?

The Attorney and the Fisherman

A hard-driving corporate attorney saw a fisherman he knew from church one afternoon, legs dangling off the pier as he helped his two young sons catch crabs. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.
“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today.”
“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?”
“What would I do with them?” asked the fisherman.
“You could earn more money and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. Then you could buy a fleet of boats. Soon you’d be rich like me.”
“What would I do then?”
“You could sit down and enjoy life.”
“What do you think I’m doing now?”
—Ray Pritchard, quoted in Men of Integrity, Vol. 3, no. 5.

An Amazing Phone Call

This is one of the most amazing and insightful phone calls you will ever hear about the greatness of God, and the compassion He offers to all who will simply believe in His wisdom and ways. What a tremendous reminder at Christmas of the great sacrifice of the Father by sending His Son Jesus, and the sacrifice of Jesus that He came.

Share it with your friends and family:
http://e-inspirational.blogspot.com/2007/12/amazing-phone-call.html

Share it with your friends and family:
http://e-inspirational.blogspot.com/2007/12/amazing-phone-call.html

Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 3)

I am presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

Take the time to read the first two if you have not done so already, then look at today's which is posted below:

III. Reject The Pressure

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

It seems like every year there is a new “gotta have” toy for the children. I remember the crazes of the Cabbage Patch Dolls, and the Beanie Babies, and while I haven’t kept up with the latest and greatest, I’m sure there are toys like that this year where every child in America seems to feel like they just “need it”!

A. Pressure To Compete

The competition starts the day after Thanksgiving with Black Friday as stores begin to have the sales that will help to get them in the black for the year as they advertise that they are going to have 20 of a certain item, and if you don’t get there at 4:00 AM in the morning, your life will not be complete because you will miss out. I’m sorry, but it’s going to take a lot more than what they’re offering to get me out of bed that early in the morning to stand out in the cold to compete with someone else for something. Maybe I’ll do it someday, I don’t know, but for now, they haven’t actually offered to pay me.

Well, I made up my mind a number of years ago, that I wasn’t going to worry about keeping up with the Jones’s, because I heard it through the grapevine that for the most part, the Jones’s are broke!
They may look real nice with all of the latest in gadgets and goodies, but like the commercial says, “they’re in debt up to their eyeballs”.

B. Pressure To Control

As you are out and about during the Christmas Season, realize that there are a lot of people out there who simply want to be “in control”, and I believe that if we are going to keep Christmas from becoming a MESS, then we need to back off a bit, and be the witness in our actions God wants us to be.

I don’t know if you notice it, but if there is ever a time of the year that aggressiveness peaks, it is during this time. Traffic is snarled while faces are snarling.

Even in the midst of all the turmoil that we face, we can still have the peace of God that passes all understanding, and maintain our witness to be a servant even in an environment where everyone wants to be the “ruler”.

Be sure to log on to this blog to get the final way to "Keep Christmas From Becoming A Mess".

Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 2)

I am presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

Take the time to read the first one if you have not done so already, then look at today's which is posted below:

II. RESPOND TO OPPORTUNITIES

As we really remember the reason for the Season, we will also be more open and receptive to the various opportunities that are presented to us from time to time.

While there are those who are very timid to take advantage of opportunities, there are also those who are a bit over-zealous like the following 2 ladies:

Making the Most of Every Opportunity – Teri Leinbaugh writes…
My mother and I arise early on Saturday mornings to catch all the garage sales. One typical Saturday we spotted a garage sale that seemed to be just opening for business.

We quickly walked into the man’s garage and began looking over his wares. After a few minutes and several stern looks from the solemn-faced garage owner, he asked if there was anything he could do for us.
“This is a garage sale, isn’t it?” my mother asked timidly.
The gentleman chuckled, somewhat relieved. “No,” he said. “I was just cleaning out my garage. But if there’s something you want, let me know.” We did—and now he’s five dollars richer.

The Opportunity To:

A. Witness

As you are standing in the long lines, it’s a great time, especially upon hearing the sighs of the people in front of you and back of you just wondering how they’re going to make it through another Christmas season.

They might even ask something like, “why do we do this to ourselves?” - At that point, it’s a great opportunity to continue the conversation, and let them at least know what the Christ of Christmas means to you.

The other day, I was in a store (not shopping), and decided I was going to grab a bite to eat while I was there. As I was going into the restaurant inside the store, there was a moment where a lady was coming with a shopping cart, but going into the restaurant too, and as she stopped to let me go through, I knew she was giving up her place in line. As I walked into the line, she came in behind me, and I thought well, I’m going to give up my spot to her even though I am absolutely starving to death. I let her go by, then after she got done refusing, she finally stepped forward, then said these words: “I was just at a funeral today, and they shared how there are only 2 places in eternity, Heaven or Hell” – Wow, I wasn’t sure how she got that out of the recent moments, but I realized this was a lady who was serious about her faith, and I told her that I fully agreed, and as a Pastor preach the same. She asked if I was a John 3:3 believer (Ye must be born again), and I assured her that I was.

Come to find out, she attends a strong bible-believing church in the area, and was just taking an opportunity to tell someone about the Gospel. Way to go!

B. Worship

When the Angels appeared in the sky to announce the Savior’s birth, they couldn’t help but take the time to Worship: Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

The Shepherds were the first of mankind to be Worshipers: Luke 2:15-17 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

The Magi gave these expensive gifts because they were worthy presents for a future king. Bible students have seen in the gifts symbols of Christ’s identity and what he would accomplish. Gold was a gift for a king; incense, a gift for deity; myrrh, a spice for a person who was going to die. These gifts may have provided the financial resources for the trip to Egypt and back.

Respond to Opportunities throughout the Christmas Season, and you will be amazed at the lack of stress you experience!

Be sure to catch our next post for the 3rd point on How to Keep Christmas From Becoming A Mess!

Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 1)

With all of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, I thought it would be good to take a moment to help us focus on ways to keep Christ in Christmas.

For the next blog entries, I am going to be presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

1. Remember The Reason -

Before we ever do anything of great value, there has to be an answer to the "why" question we all face. It is very clear to look around and see "what" happens at Christmas, and while we all may have varying opinions of "what Christmas is all about", we must know the reason why we do what we do.

Debates exist about the purpose of the Christmas tree, the actual date of the birth of Christ, and more, however, this is not about all the practices of Christmas, but is more about the CHRIST of Christmas.

The first reason for the Christmas celebration is to remember...

A. The Birth of Jesus Christ -

Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. It is to celebrate the birth of the most profound life that has ever been born in this world. Jesus Christ was conceived and born like no other child ever had been before and since... the Virgin Birth. Matthew 1:23 - "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

For those who don't believe in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, probably just "left the building". However, for those who realize there is a God bigger and greater than we are, who created the world and all that is within it, also know that if God can do all of that, then surely He can do the impossible. If God can't do the impossible, then is he really God? I submit to you that He is and that Christmas is about the celebration of the great miracle of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.

The second thing we need to remember is...

B. The Example of the Father

Why all the focus on the giving of gifts at Christmas? Well, I will be the first one to say that things have gotten a bit out of hand for sure! We will cover that area in a few days.

However, the main thing to remember on this topic is that the example of the Father is giving! John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The greatest gift to mankind came from the greatest Giver. The Heavenly Father showed us what it meant to be extremely generous by sending His Son into a world that for the most part rejected Him then, and continues to reject Him now.

Like you, I have to chuckle a bit as I drive by homes and businesses that have absolutely no time for Christ in their lives during the year are lit up with lights beyond imagination. I believe it's important that when you "light up", that you are already "lit up"! Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

In the next Blog entries, we will look at the following points:

II. Respond to Opportunities
III. Reject The Pressure
IV. Rejoice In Your Blessings

Remember to take time during this busy Christmas Season to remember the reason for celebration so that you don't make a "mess" out of Christmas!