From time to time I do not have the time to write a blog. Today is one of those days, so I will share a link to some music that might help you get into the Christmas spirit.
I hope you Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
See you with a new post tomorrow…
It may be a “man thing,” but shopping is usually at the bottom of my I-just-gotta-do-it list, and it will never find a place on my bucket list. According to the PNC Wealth Management Christmas Index, if you were to go on a shopping spree based on the classic song, The 12 Days of Christmas, the gifts would cost you $27,673.
One gift that didn’t make the list is so uniquely spectacular that Paul said, “Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift (II Corinthians 9:15).” This is the gift that the prophet Isaiah spoke of over 700 years before Jesus was born:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace ~Isaiah 9:6
Isaiah’s prophecy would be fulfilled in the words of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
So you see, the real price of Christmas is not the sum total of $27,673, it is the Son total of one life that paid the price of salvation—”You get what is coming to you when you sin. It is death! But God’s free gift is life that lasts forever. It is given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23 ~NLV).”
Peter encouraged a group of severely persecuted Christians to recognize and give thanks for the presence of Jesus:
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ~1 Peter 1:3-5
If you see Christmas as a series of sales Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, you denigrate it to the status of meaningless merchandise. The onus is on us, you and me, to keep Christ foremost in this season of giving.
As you prepare for your celebration of God’s miraculous gift, I encourage you to remember that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17).”
In June of 2011, the New York Times asked the question: “Why is nearsightedness so common in the modern world?” The article went on to report that, “In the early 1970s, 25 percent of Americans were nearsighted; three decades later, the rate had risen to 42 percent . . . “
Research by The Ohio State University College of Optometry suggests that children who are genetically predisposed to nearsightedness can improve their chances of avoiding eyeglasses through an appropriate amount of exposure to sunshine, and all that is needed is about 14 hours a week.
The lead researcher, Donald Mutti said: “Between the ages of 5 and 9, a child’s eye is still growing, and sometimes this growth causes the distance between the lens and the retina to lengthen, leading to nearsightedness.” Mutti believes that “different types of outdoor light may help preserve the proper shape and length of the eye during that growth period.”
Nearsightedness can be a problem spiritually as well as physically. This was the case in Psalm 73:
“God is truly good to those whose lives are pure. But my feet had almost stumbled. They had almost slipped because I was envious of arrogant people when I saw the prosperity that wicked people enjoy.”
The Psalmist had subrogated an immediate focus for an eternal perspective which left him with a case of pernicious nearsightedness. This is a spiritual malady that finds its remedy not in sunlight, but in the Son’s light: “When I tried to understand this, it was too difficult for me. Only when I came into God’s holy place did I finally understand (Psalm 73:16-17).”
Peter spoke of the transforming power of the Son’s light:
His divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. But concerning the one who lacks such things—he is blind. That is to say, he is nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins ~2 Peter 1
The best cure for a nearsighted, ineffective and unproductive life is to spend more time basking in the warmth of the Son’s light.
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