Turn the cheek

My good friends, as we enter into another season of giving and sharing, (ie. showing the love of Christ to the world) let us carefully consider our responses to the "war on Christmas". I have been for the past couple of weeks mad, angry, sad, and amused at what I see and hear in reference to the rights( and offenses ) of celebrating or even calling this time of the year Christmas. In my humble opinion, if you really stood back for a good couple of minutes or days or hours, and surveyed what is really going on you probably wouldn't get as upset up as some of our fine christian brothers and sisters. Yes, there is a definite shift in our culture as it pertains to this time of year, but then again that is not a newsflash. People have been taking Christ out of their lives and preventing their conscious from thinking about him from the beginning of time. It is however, increasing at a rapid pace in these last days. Yes, there are businesses and important voices of our generation blatantly renaming such cultural icons as Christmas Trees to Holiday trees. They are trying to make laws against religious scenes such as the nativity scene, which seem offensive to those who don't want to have a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ in their rear view mirrors. I could counter these people and businesses with their own behaviors which are offensive to me, but I am going to turn the other cheek per say.

Why? Well if you did stand back and survey the mess that Christmas time is now you would see that it is more about the attack of our faith in Jesus rather than the trivial arguments of Holiday Trees or Christmas trees, or the right of nativity scenes in our yards. Really now think about it. Arguing and bickering about these things seems like the right thing to do, but is it going to change the fact that Jesus is the Savior? If it does in your mind then you are doing the exact thing the enemy wants you to do. The world around us is going to get worse. The challenges to Christians in America are going to get tougher. If next year the government or businesses did not recognize Christmas, outlawed nativity scenes, and only made holiday trees, would it be the end of the world for you? Would it change the fact that you are saved, loved by the God of the Universe, filled with His spirit, and sent out to do the things that Jesus did? No, I didn't think so.
That is why it takes all that is within me to overcome my feelings of taking a bat to those who treat the day we honor and remember the gift of Jesus as October 4th. Just another day. But, be rest assured that this world we live in will not quickly give up on holiday we call Christmas too soon. It is the one holiday that sometimes makes or breaks a corporations profitability, and we know how that corporations will do everything to entice Americans to love and bow to the Almighty Dollar.

So now we know that it is an attempt by the Enemy and those who he controls, prods, and directs to somehow steal, or suppress your faith in Jesus. Remember to fix your eyes on those things that are eternal not here on earth. Have a Merry Christmas...and turn the other cheek.



Whip........