The Christmas story. Most anyone who would consider reading this blog knows it I'm fairly certain. Just in case I'm wrong I will give the brief run down of it which sums the story up in a very short version. A little over 2000 years ago about 6 B.C. a child was born into a poor family. His "father" a carpenter and his mother a young virgin betrothed to the carpenter. The ruler of the "world" I suppose is one way to put it decided that everyone needed to pay taxes and so this young couple begins a trip to the city of David a.k.a. Bethlehem. When they get there they look for a place to stay and the young man's family turns them away from the guest room so they sleep with the animals on the ground level of the house that night and in the presence of filthy animals the Savior of the world is born and brought into the world innocent and pure. His mother wraps him up in strips of cloth to keep him warm and lays him on a make shift bed. Three Shepherds, in that day similar to homeless men for us, are the first to know the Savior has come and they go to see him. These outcast of society welcome the Lord to the presence of mere people and show us who he came for. This story is so beautiful. Yet this doesn't sound much like the story you hear at church.
The story most of us hear at church is oh Mary and Joseph were going to get married. Mary finds out shes pregnant and Joseph wants to divorce her but an angel tells him no. They leave to pay taxes because the angel convinced him to keep her and on the way all the hotels are full and cannot take them in. They sleep in, what is logistically a barn, and baby Jesus is born. But that is NOT the Christmas story and even if it is some variety of it, it is NOT one worth living for. The Christmas story is about God acting. God steps into humanity and says, "I love you enough I'm going to give up my divine rights and suffer for you, but not only suffer I'm going to die and you are worth it." So the Christ suffers and dies on our behalf and all he ask us to do is live for Him. This is where the trouble comes though isn't it.
Its really easy to die for a cause you truly believe in but its a whole lot harder to live for it. Sometimes I think it would be easier to tell someone yes I believe in God if I was going to be killed for it than it is to live for Him in front of my friends who knew me before Christ saved me from myself. It frustrates me so much cause I don't have to die for Christ to matter and I would probably, most definitely make a greater impact if I lived for Him instead and that is where I run into the wall. So I have kind of put the story out there and hopefully raised a few questions without having to be obscene and off the wall about it. I do hope that you will remember me in your prayers as I fight the battle. I someday want to be able to at the end of my life stand before a group of believers in church, out of church, wherever I am.. And like Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:6-8:
6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
I just hope that when my life draws to a close I can say this. I also hope that my life is the image of Christ. I want people to think about me someday, "We need more Christians like him. He is/was living the Kingdom of God come to earth." Grace and Peace.
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