Chaos and The Babe
Posted by Kimberly Williams on Friday, December 23, 2011
This holiday season has been sweet because of our new addition, but it has also brought me to a place of much reflection.
I have been reading the Christmas story to my kids for the last couple of weeks and have been shown a lot of new things about this incredible story. First, I want to give you a picture of what was taking place in the heavens when the King of Kings entered the earth. It was not your typical birth. There were myriads of angels fighting satan and his army of demons. Yes, satan was part of the nativity. He was there waiting to destroy Jesus. He had already convinced Herod to slay all of the baby boys under the age of 2, but his plan was thwarted by God. It was not time for Jesus to die He had work to do. So this is where the Chaos surrounding Christ and His birth started. This brings us to this age. satan is still at work trying to stop God's plan for your life this Christmas. He has given us so many distractions and has tempted us into caring only for ourselves. I-Phones, I-Pads, I-Pods...I find it funny that all of these popular gifts began with "I". It is all about us. We have dumbed down the power of God so much that we have become our own gods. We justify everything in our lives to be a necessity. And believe me this is just as much for me as for anyone reading this, God always points His righteous finger at me first.
Just how much do we need? I can't help but think of all the orphans in the world that God in His word has commanded us to care for. What are we doing? We are so self consumed and we think our kids need all of the latest gadgets to be happy. When all they really need is for mommy and daddy to teach them to put others before themselves and love the Lord with all of their hearts. satan is after our families. He has his tactics already in place. We send our kids off to school for 8 hours a day, send them to Awana on Wednesday night, to Sunday school on Sunday, and run them to their extracurricular activities throughout the week, they also have to have their time to play with their new toys and watch tv. So after all is said and done the average Christian family spends about 22 hours per week together. This is a perfect plan. satan started this whole thing off by destroying the family when he tempted Eve with the fruit. She left the protection of her husband, he allowed her to and there you go SIN!
My prayer this Christmas is that we will repent, turn from our selfish ways, and stop making excuses for the worldly way we live. We are not of this world. Please God help us focus our eyes on you and eternity. How are we impacting eternity? Be ready He is coming and His reward is with Him!!!! Stop the chaos and stop to look at the Babe!
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. Luke 12:35-37
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do no conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy" Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from you ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world , but was revealed in the dead and glorified him and so you faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:13-23
I have been reading the Christmas story to my kids for the last couple of weeks and have been shown a lot of new things about this incredible story. First, I want to give you a picture of what was taking place in the heavens when the King of Kings entered the earth. It was not your typical birth. There were myriads of angels fighting satan and his army of demons. Yes, satan was part of the nativity. He was there waiting to destroy Jesus. He had already convinced Herod to slay all of the baby boys under the age of 2, but his plan was thwarted by God. It was not time for Jesus to die He had work to do. So this is where the Chaos surrounding Christ and His birth started. This brings us to this age. satan is still at work trying to stop God's plan for your life this Christmas. He has given us so many distractions and has tempted us into caring only for ourselves. I-Phones, I-Pads, I-Pods...I find it funny that all of these popular gifts began with "I". It is all about us. We have dumbed down the power of God so much that we have become our own gods. We justify everything in our lives to be a necessity. And believe me this is just as much for me as for anyone reading this, God always points His righteous finger at me first.
Just how much do we need? I can't help but think of all the orphans in the world that God in His word has commanded us to care for. What are we doing? We are so self consumed and we think our kids need all of the latest gadgets to be happy. When all they really need is for mommy and daddy to teach them to put others before themselves and love the Lord with all of their hearts. satan is after our families. He has his tactics already in place. We send our kids off to school for 8 hours a day, send them to Awana on Wednesday night, to Sunday school on Sunday, and run them to their extracurricular activities throughout the week, they also have to have their time to play with their new toys and watch tv. So after all is said and done the average Christian family spends about 22 hours per week together. This is a perfect plan. satan started this whole thing off by destroying the family when he tempted Eve with the fruit. She left the protection of her husband, he allowed her to and there you go SIN!
My prayer this Christmas is that we will repent, turn from our selfish ways, and stop making excuses for the worldly way we live. We are not of this world. Please God help us focus our eyes on you and eternity. How are we impacting eternity? Be ready He is coming and His reward is with Him!!!! Stop the chaos and stop to look at the Babe!
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. Luke 12:35-37
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do no conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy" Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from you ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world , but was revealed in the dead and glorified him and so you faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:13-23