Just a Whole Lot Of Joy

Yes, it’s less than a month until Christmas. Just so you know, it didn’t sneak up on you, it came just like all the previous years. One day at a time. For some, they don’t think about Christmas until the music on the radio changes. Other people are so focused on life, work, school, and so many other things that one day in December they suddenly think about it.

And yet, most of the world is involved is some way. People call it many things. Some say: Seasons Greetings or Happy Holiday, and for them, that is what it is. Originally Dec 25^th was a pagan holiday that the Christian world jumped on board with so both celebrations were on the same day. As time went by the festival disappeared and the world under Constantine changed all that.

I’m writing you today to let you know ‘it’s almost here’. But I’m wondering if we can change that sudden shock of realizing that Christ has come. Don’t we all feel joy when we see people we love? No, it’s not happiness, it’s actually joy. Why I think that is because I believe that happiness is based on something that happens. Where I believe joy is based on being with people.

Case in point: I’m happy when I have a nice bowl of chilli. But when I visited my grandmother’s sister it was a joy to see her again and it was not happiness. I was happy to visit her but it was a joy to be with her. Hope I explained it well enough. Just read something that talks about getting together at church each week. It’s not about the happening, it’s about; ‘the joy of belonging’.

I believe it is the same with Christmas. I’m happy it comes but the joy I feel at Christmas is all wrapped up in the person of Christ and getting daily closer to Him. Advent is a process of daily walking towards Him and being aware that we are getting daily closer to Christ as walk through our daily lives. It’s a process where we experience a greater awareness of Him in our world and in our lives. Now that is real joy – in Jesus.

Something to think about.

Rob

Play In The Pasture of Ps. 23

Forget about that fellow 'know when you been bad or good. There is something more to doing stuff that is not right. We all know what sin is. It’s always something that hurts someone. Satan doesn’t want us to look at it that way so he puts it in neon to give the impression its good. As I said recently, ‘just because the world says it good, doesn’t make it good.

Remember back when you were a kid and you went outside to play just after a rain. You ended up covered in mud and mom was not happy.  Ever think that God thinks just like mom?  Here we are rolling around in the dirt and filth of life and it’s not good.

I remember back in the seventies I had a pair of white plaid pants with red and black. Wore them all the time until I ran through a playing field trying to catch a bus after spending the evening with my girlfriend. One pant leg ended up being stained red clay brick brown and the stain never came out. I eventually through them out.

Life is like that. When satan tries to tell us that God really didn’t mean what He said, as in the case of Eve, and also to us, we need to know the truth because it sets us free. I want to let you know, God knows what is best for us and maybe that means staying out of the mud. He, like mom knows, the stain may never come out unless He cleanses us from all the mud in our lives.

Something to think about

Rob     

Get To Where You Are Going

The quickest way to get from point A to point B is to go in a straight line. But that is almost never possible. Case in point; while traveling recently I thought taking the plane was the fastest way to get to where I wanted to be. After all, don’t they go in a straight line?

Well, not really. First you have to get in a car or truck and drive to the airport. And you have to get to the airport two hours early. In doing this you will realize that even as you start out, you will be following the ‘long and winding road’.  You either have to park the vehicle and walk for a couple of miles to get to the first stop in the airport or you get dropped off. Do you have your ticket? You could forgo getting one at the counter because most have their own ticket on the phone or printed on paper.

Then you head off to the line that snakes around the foyer of the airport and they call it ‘security check’. You might even think you are finally there. But no, you now have to get in line to get on the airplane, and then the plane gets in line to get on the runway.

Once you land, you are so glad to be where you are going you don’t realize you stand and wait for your luggage, get into another car and then, yes then you are where you want to be.

Our lives are just like all that you have just read. There are detours and road blocks there are cancelled flights and bad weather or mechanical problems. It’s all part of getting to our final destination. I’m here today to let you know heaven is a real place. For us who have made a decision for Christ we know He is the Way… In our life there is only one quick and easy way to heaven. Yes, the fastest and only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ.

Are you prepared to follow Him?

Something to think about

Rob