Yesterday(It is about 8:50AM on Monday 26Dec16) was Christmas. It is a time when we celebrate the birth of Christ. God sent His Son to us to die for our sins so we may have the chance to be saved.
John 3:16New International Version (NIV)
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.
Let what you just read sink in, God sent Christ to Earth to die for our sins so that we have the chance to be saved. God loved us enough to allow Christ to be born and live as a human to experience everything we were going through. He had to eat, be tempted, drink, sleep, bathe, and experience: happiness, sadness, anger, love, pain.
When you were celebrating Christmas, what was on your mind?
- Were you experiencing disappointment from another gift that you did not want?
- Were you experiencing happiness/excitement from what you got?
- Were you wondering how did we get to the state we are in with Christmas being so commercialized?
- Were you saying Bah Hum Bug?
- Were you thinking what is going to be for Breakfast, Lunch, and/or Dinner?
- Were you dreading traveling to friends, family, loved ones?
- Were you experiencing happiness that God sent Christ to be your Lord and Savior?
I was thankful that God did not say you get what you deserve, but instead sent His Son to me so that I may have the chance to spend eternity in Heaven with them.
Romans 6:23New International Version (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I keep saying the chance to spend eternity, because it is not automatically guaranteed that you will. You will hear a lot of people say that you need Christ. No you do not. The choice is yours.
- Do you want Christ to be part of you life?
- Do you want Christ to leave you alone for now?
- Do you want Christ to leave you alone forever?
There are a lot out there I am sure that will be all over this for what was said, saying that I am wrong and that everyone needs Christ. I do not disagree with that, but the choice is ours to make and Christ will grant you what you really want. So what is it you really want? Trying to force something on someone is not going to work. When you wanted something, what did you do?
- Work your tail off to get it?
- Wait around for it to be given to you?
- Lie, cheat, steal to get it?
Is the expectation that when we interact with God and Christ that we should behave differently? If you want to have a relationship with Christ and to spend eternity in Heaven with them, then it is going to take hard work. The choice is yours, but as with all choices there are consequences.
What is it you want from Christ and God? I know what I want.