Tag: Jesus

Finding Something Better Than a Golden Dome

On By T.J. AllenIn Christian Living, Spiritual Condition and Duty, Spiritual RenewalLeave a comment
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Golden Dome of the Georgia State Capitol

 

On the street corner in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, a friend and I were standing, chatting, and waiting for the little pedestrian icon to turn from orange to white so we could cross the street. An older woman came up to us and looked passed us up to the top of a building beyond.

“I am not concerned about Jesus Saves,” she said. “I am looking for the golden dome. Do you know where it is?”

It took us a minute to realize what she was asking. I think our hesitations cast some doubt in her mind as to whether we could give her a trustworthy and satisfactory answer. My friend’s name being Jesus (Hey-Zues) added to my confusion. We guessed she was talking about the golden dome that sits atop of the state capitol government building along Washington and Trinity streets in downtown Atlanta (More about the Georgia State Capitol) . We pointed in the general direction of where we believed it to be. With apparent no trust in our judgment, the lady headed in another direction. The dome was indeed in the direction in which we had pointed.

Jesus Saves

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Steeple with “Jesus Saves” on both sides.

 

Jesus and I continued towards a building where we were to conduct an inspection, discussing the strange encounter. We were not sure what she had meant by her not being “concerned about Jesus Saves.” Part of our inspection included the roof top. We decided to go there first. Once upon the flat roof I surveyed the Atlanta skyline. I saw a steeple with the words “Jesus Saves” on the side of it. I looked down and saw the street corner where the lady had spoken to us. Other buildings had blocked our view of the steeple where the brief discussion had taken place. I realized what her statement meant. She wasn’t looking for this building, but for the building with the golden dome.

This woman echoed the sentiments of so many people. They don’t care too much about “Jesus Saves.” They just want to know the direction to the golden dome. Jesus addressed this very concern of the world’s obsession with things that are limited and false. People prefer the shiny things in life to what Jesus has to offer. The golden dome this lady sought has twenty ounces of gold leaf covering it. It is estimated to be worth $30,000. As impressive as it sounds, it is still temporal.

The golden dome represents man made government and society. In Isaiah 6:9a, the government and kingdom of God is spoken of. The scripture says “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder.” (ESV, italics are mine for emphasis). The government of man shall pass away in all its imperfections, but the government and kingdom of God will not.  Jesus saves from the temporal and faulty government of man and replaces it with His kingdom. It starts now in our hearts and will be in full force when Jesus sets up His kingdom at the end of time.

We pointed the lady in the right direction, but, again like the world she didn’t trust us with our directions any more than she trusted Jesus to save her. I wonder if she even knew what she was asking. I know she meant it one way, but it could be taken another. I wonder if she thought, “What is it that Jesus saves from?” Based on her statement and then her interaction with us, I would hazard a guess that she never gave the statement a second thought, much less a deeper meaning. She, after all was “not too concerned with Jesus Saves.”

I, on the other hand am very glad Jesus Saves and Jesus saved me. As Ravi Zacharias has said, “Jesus did not come to earth to make bad people good. No, He came to earth to make dead people alive.” Jesus saved me from death. He saved me from a life of aimlessness and worthlessness. He saved me from the slavery of sin and deceit. He saved me from eternal separation from God and he saved me from unrighteousness. He saved me from me. He came to give me life and that more abundantly. He did all that by the renewing of my spirit. This is what it means to be born again; to be born to new life and to become a new creature. This is how Jesus Saves. This is the good news we must tell to others, even those who are not so concerned that Jesus saves and prefer the gold and golden domes.

Getting to Know Jesus

Find out more about the abundant life with Jesus at the links below.

Are You a Watchman?

Christianity Coexist? It Cannot Happen.

Christianty Coexist? It cannot happen.

On By T.J. AllenIn Christian Living, Spiritual Condition and Duty, Spiritual RenewalLeave a comment

coexist_by_chima.png

Perhaps you have seen this bumper sticker of late that suggests all the world’s religions, movements, and beliefs should just get along and play nice: they should coexist. It is kind of like the saying “to live and just let live.” Those who display such stickers or embrace this stance do not understand there is one of those “religions” that cannot just coexist.  I am sure you noticed I put the word religion in “”. This is not a grammatical error because though Christianity is a religion to many, it was never designed to be.

Though the symbols of all belief systems are not displayed in the sticker, it is intended to be all inclusive. This thought process in and of itself is Hinduistic in nature. It says, “There is room for every belief system.” The saying “all roads lead to Rome” or better, “all beliefs lead to heaven” is its mantra. There in is the rub. Christianity by its very nature cannot be all inclusive to all beliefs though it is welcoming to all who would believe.

An examination of Christianity will find it similar in nature to many of the belief systems of the world:

  • There are many who claim their founder was an Avatar or incarnation of a/the Supreme Being.
  • Some claim their founder was born in unusual or supernatural circumstances.
  • Some belief systems claim their founder died and was resurrected from the dead.
  • Many systems claim a higher road of living with ethical precepts. These precepts are offered in a systematic order of conduct. There are various levels of being or living which is dependent upon how closely the precepts are adhered to. The greater the adherence to the belief systems’ precepts, the greater or closer one will be in the walk to attaining the goal or to the Supreme Being or Universe.
  • Many systems offer a way to heaven or at least a calmer existence in the afterlife.
  • Many claim theirs is the only way to attain this afterlife and/or oneness with the Supreme Being or at least with the Universe.
  • Many systems claim when one attains the blissful afterlife, they have simultaneously saved themselves from an alternate hellish afterlife.

What makes Christianity so different from all other world belief systems? All the claims made above can and are made concerning Jesus and the belief system He offered with two exceptions: the spiritual condition of man and the cure for it. Like many of the world systems Christianity says mankind is in a state of imperfectness and there must be some alteration to make him viable to gain all that is offered. Where most, if not all belief systems encourage a gradual becoming, Jesus states man must have a new beginning first. Many belief systems see the becoming as a journey that starts at birth. Some state it crosses many lives and many attempts. Christianity sees man as a dead spirit and there is no way he can cause that spirit to live again. In his spiritually dead state he is separated from God and his ultimate destiny is in a place of eternal separation.

Christians call this new beginning being “born again.” Jesus used this terminology in the book of John and chapter three. In His discussion with Nicodemus He stated everyone must be born again. Paul calls it being a new creation. Jesus further tells Nicodemus that this new birth comes from believing in Him, the Son of God. The Bible clearly explains how Jesus died on the cross in our place. It wasn’t an accident, it was intentional. None of the major world belief systems have a founder who willingly and purposely died in the place of its adherents. Nor does any of the world religions require the adherents to accept the substitutionary death of their founder as the only way to gain the salvation spoken of in its precepts. Jesus further explains the reason for His death and resurrection: the love of the Father.

If someone claims to be a Christian but has never come to the place where their spirit has been renewed by the Spirit of God then their brand of Christianity is no different than any other belief system. They may follow every rule outlined but they have in essence taken the precepts of Jesus and made them an ethical system. This is one of reasons people think it should and could coexist with all other world systems when in fact it is more than an ethical system. In the words of Jesus “You must be born again.” At that point, the journey really begins. Have you been born again and are living the abundant life Jesus promised to provide? Or are you living a life which seeks to emulate an ethical system? It’s a choice and not to choose is to choose not to have.

If you would like to know more about being  born again, click on the link below.

To Be Born Again

Are You a Watchman?

On By T.J. AllenIn Spiritual Condition and DutyLeave a comment

shofar-man

Invariably when I broach this subject I am quizzed about the Watchtower booklets used by the Jehovah’s Witness. And so, right up front let me say that these are not the same. Rather, this is a term used in the bible in Ezekiel, Chapter 33, and verses 1-11. In this chapter God addressed Ezekiel in such a manner that it leads some scholars to believe God was talking to anyone who is called to be part of the clergy. Some scholars will say God is using this example to Ezekiel to highlight the duty of all Christians. Either way there is a lesson to be learned here. I am not going to write out all the verses. Those that I quote will be from the Revised English Standard.

The people of the Old Testament times were mostly nomads; some people had become city dwellers as a means of safety. Whether nomad or city dweller, danger lurked in the form of marauding bands or raiding armies. A watchman was necessary to warn the people of incoming danger. The watchman would take the highest vantage point to scan the horizon for trouble. From the highest sand dune, cliff, or pinnacle of the city tower, he would keep an eye out for threats. We obviously want people with certain qualities to fulfill these positions. They need to be able to see communicate clearly. We don’t want a blind mute watching for us.

God set Ezekiel up a watchman. He was told to warn the people of Israel as God’s spokesman. What God told him, he was to tell the people. God specifically told Ezekiel, the Watchman to warn the wicked that they will die in their wickedness. There were two possible scenarios here God describes along with the outcomes of each.

  1. The Watchman, given a clear word from God to warn the wicked people of their wickedness and to turn away from it, decides not to warn the people. The people will surely die, but God will hold the Watchman accountable because the people did not have a chance to change from their wickedness.
  2. The Watchman does tell the people they are going to die in their wickedness and they don’t repent of their wicked ways. Again, the wicked will die in their wickedness, but the Watchman will not be held accountable. He did what he was instructed to do.

In the first scenario the wicked are not warned and God says that person will be “taken away in his iniquity.” Iniquity is immoral behavior. If left unchecked, the person will be lost in it. Can people be so blind to their immoral lives? Yes, they see nothing wrong with their lives and who are you to point it out? You got to be careful here. If God tells you to speak with someone about their immoral lifestyle, you better be sure it is from God and you go in His power, not your own. Conversely, if God has told you to address the immoral ways of someone and you don’t speak up, then God is going to hold you accountable for not speaking to that person. This isn’t so easy with family or friends, is it?

The part of the equation besides God’s power is the reason for the telling, which brings us several questions:

  • Do Christians have a right to correct/confront non-Christians? It is not a matter of right; it is a matter of obligation, obedience, attitude, and desired outcomes. Again, is God telling you to do it or are you doing it in an attitude of being offended or judgmental? Do you just want them to stop the behavior or do you want them to see they are lost in that sin without a Savior? If you want them to meet Jesus then it won’t be a “come to Jesus meeting.”
  • Do Christians have a right to correct/confront Christians? Here too, it is not a matter of a right as much as it is a matter of obligation. Believe it or not, Christians and non-Christians have a different standard. God does not expect the unbeliever to act like a Christian. He expects them to become Christians. God also does not expect Christians to behave like unbelievers. The correction here is to bring a brother or sister, someone who is part of the family, back into a right relationship with the family. Their iniquity separates them from fellow brothers and sisters as well as the Father.

Above all things, there is to be an attitude of love. We talk to the immoral unbeliever because we love them and want them to live up to the spiritual purpose God created them for. We lovingly confront the brother or sister because we love them and, like God, want what is best for them in their walk with Him. In the last two verses God makes it plan that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Rather, as a loving Father He implores them to turn back from their wickedness to find life. He asks, “Why will you die?”

Divine Appointments & Stray Cats

On By T.J. AllenIn Spiritual Condition and DutyLeave a comment

Sally Cat

As I looked out the window from my third floor hotel room overlooking the parking lot, I notice two cats slinking their way across the lot. One of them obviously was in charge of the two since she or he had the lead. The other followed like a good underling. Not far back, came another cat some distance as if she or he was a subordinate, but not allowed to walk in close proximity to the leader. It was somewhat interesting to watch as they stopped and sniffed tires and pieces of trash, one cat after another. I am no stranger to cats since we have six ourselves. Almost all of them were strays that had no one until we took them in. They too, have a pecking order and they know who is in charge.

Later that night I had to gas up the rental car I was to turn in at the airport the next morning. Being a people person I watched the folks around me fueling up their cars or going in and out of the convenience store. My daughter refers to this activity of watching people as “creeping” and jokingly calls me a creeper when she sees me. For example, the car in front of me was empty and the driver was nowhere around. I thought it was odd how the car was pulled a little too far forward of the pump for gas. I had to almost touch bumpers with it in order for me to reach the gas nozzle to the car.

Across from my gas dispenser, I noticed a young lady who I thought was a little underdressed in the night air of 30 something degrees. She was talking to a man who was fueling his truck. They conversed while she propped over the tailgate of his truck. She must be with him and is about to go into the store, I thought. He never looked at her and had his back to her as he pumped his gas. He shook his head in disagreement with something she said. She smiled and headed for the store, but she never went in. Instead she went to another car to speak to yet another man. Out of the corner of my eye, to my left, I saw another young woman, though older than the first. She was a little more dressed as she had a shawl to keep her warmer.

The driver of the car in front of me came back and began to pump his gas. He had been stopped by the first woman and after a few words they parted ways. She headed out into the parking lot where the second woman was now. The second woman headed for towards the intersection and the younger, first woman followed. She stopped at the intersection and leaned into the passenger side window of a vehicle waiting at the stop light. She conversed with the driver while woman number two leaned against a power pole at the same intersection. They reminded me of the cats who I had seen earlier on the prowl looking for opportunity; human strays that didn’t seem to have a home or fit into society. I finished fueling the car and drove away. In my rear view mirror I saw the younger girl still leaning into the car and the older one was joining her. I thought about how I would have reacted if they had approached me. I had helped a young man at that very same gas station earlier in the month on a similar night. I hadn’t hesitated when he approached. It was almost like God told him to speak to me and God told me to help him and I did. I pray for him often. Maybe God told them I was not worth their time. I smiled at the thought.

Except for the grace of God, I would be like those strays even today. I recognized that grace and accepted it. How many people are offered the love, mercy, and grace God offers and they turn Him down. We are not supposed to keep all that to ourselves. We are to be sensitive to the voice of God and to be Jesus to the world. That means we sometimes are in awkward situations, approached by people who are not like us, and to be ready to touch their lives as God sees fit. If we are not willing to be used, God will not waste His time putting hurting, lost, strays into our lives. It is called Divine Appointments. I am glad Jesus put me in the life of those who reached out to my family when I was young. The second son of a single mother, I for all intents and purposes was a stray, but I didn’t know I was a stray. Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost. He expects us to do the same. If we are not looking for the lost we will never see them and we won’t be able to offer them the salvation from their lostness. Thank God Jesus is in the business of looking for and taking in strays.

If you feel like you have strayed, please click on this link to learn more. Jesus the stray seeker

 

 

 

 

5 Daily Questions

On By T.J. AllenIn Spiritual Condition and DutyLeave a comment

2016-01-28 17.13.51There are five basic questions every Christian should ask everyday of God and/or of themselves. These questions are foundational to maintaining the key relationships in our lives.

  1. God, what are your plans for me today?
  2. God, what do I need to learn today?
  3. Who needs my love today?
  4. Who needs my forgiveness today?
  5. Of whom do I need to ask forgiveness?

The first question really is answered by the following four (or more). This is the starting point for the next four and all other questions that might arise. After all, isn’t God’s plan for your life completed one day at a time? There was a popular license plate/ bumper sticker sometime back that stated “Jesus is the Answer” in large letters and in smaller letters “What’s your question?” Though it sounds simplistic in nature, its intent is to point the reader towards the starting point in any situation: a relationship with God.

If we truly believe God is in charge of everything including our lives, then we know everything that happens today He will use for our good. Does it always feel good or comfortable? No. Is God caught off guard? No. Though we may never fully understand all that happens each day or even in our lives, faith knows no matter what: God is God. This is an attitude that says, “Okay God, here I am. What do you have for me today and please remind me through it all: You are in charge through the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The second question stems from the first. Dr. Chuck Swindoll says God has two reasons for allowing anything to happen in our lives: to draw us closer to Him and/or to make us more like Him. Life is designed by God to be a learning experience. It is surprising how many people believe when they finish their formal education that there is nothing else for them to learn. Joyce Meyer pointed out how God’s school of life works. We are all tested and if you fail the test you get to keep taking it over until you pass. Then you graduate up. Even the Apostle Paul said of the Corinthians, who had not grown, they should be eating spiritual meat, yet many of them were still on milk. God expects us to learn and grow.

In being more like God, we need to learn to love. It is easy to love our own, but what about the acts of love that stretch us? We are called to love even when it is not comfortable or easy. Once a man and his wife were having marriage difficulties and it even looked like they might split. She had enough. He had enough. He went to God.

“God, I am tired of being hurt,” He said. “What am I to do here?”

“Repent and love your wife,” God said.

“God, how can I love someone who doesn’t love me? Do you know how hard that is?”

“Yes. I do it all the time,” God said.

It has been said we are the most like Jesus when we forgive. What motivates us to forgive? Love: the same thing that motivated God to send Jesus to die for us. Are you seeing how one question moves into the other? Jesus mentions forgiveness three times in the Scripture containing the Lord’s Prayer in the sixth chapter of Matthew. At the end of the prayer He states the Father will not forgive us if we do not forgive. Notice, He didn’t say the Father couldn’t forgive. He says the Father will not forgive. A Christian who is holding onto unforgiveness will not have the forgiveness of God. Do you feel like your relationship with Jesus and others is stifled? That your prayers don’t seem to be getting any higher than eye level? Are you forgiving others? You may have something going on where you believe you forgave an offender, but it is still there. It may even take several attempts to overcome, yet it is essential to your walk with God.

Who have you offended? Do you owe them an apology? You may think everything is just great, yet there is an issue that keeps coming back around. It may be just a small irritation, a small deal, but it just won’t go away. You really didn’t hurt their feelings did you? You were just joking or that’s just the way you are. If they have a problem with what you said or did, they need to tough up. Right? (Insert buzzer sound here!) It’s up to you to make sure everything is really ok with everyone around you.  Yes, that includes your jerk ______ (Fill in the blank.) If you think about a situation in a negative light more than once then it needs your attention. If you have a splinter in your finger, you work to remove it or it will fester. If you have a splinter or a log in a relationship, you need to work to remove it or it too will fester.

So often folks will quote the Bible from Romans 8:28: “All things work for our good,” they say. When in reality the Scripture says God will “work all things for the good of those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” He intends for us to be seeking His purpose. Further, verse 29, hardly every quoted, tells us what the purpose is: so that we are made into the likeness of His Son. That good which is spoken of is fulfilled in us being like Jesus the Son who sought God’s plans each day.

We all have a mission. It starts with love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. How we handle our mission is based on how we approach God and each new day He has given us. If we leave God out, are we really fulfilling the mission He has placed us here for? I firmly believe you are where you are in this time because God ordained you for “a time such as this.” This is your time. Fulfill your mission day by day.

I Don’t Believe in Luck

On By T.J. AllenIn Spiritual Condition and DutyLeave a comment

As I drove around the state of Georgia last week I couldn’t help but notice the billboard signs each day that displayed the latest total of possible winnings at the PowerBall. My week started out with it registering $400 million and before I made it home it was up to $800 million. I was like most anyone else: Hmmm, what would I do with just half that amount? The thought quickly faded though for several reasons; 1) I wasn’t going to spend any money on the chance to begin with and; 2) I don’t believe in luck, I believe in God.

Like you, I work too hard for my money to just be giving it to the government. They take enough of it without my permission anyway and take more and more each year. Plus, I am not impressed with how they handle what they get now. Why would I want to give anymore to them? Yes, we could debate back and forth how several states use the lottery to fund education, and how our state’s money is going to some other state. I could counter with 95% of people who win the lottery are bankrupt and worse off than when they won and could quote statistics from other states who have to pay for the washout of addiction. I think this debate misses the point. When you boil it all down, the question is: what do you believe, or more plainly, where is your heart?

God owns the cattle on a thousand hills the bible says. So, couldn’t this same God give me $800 million dollars if He really wanted me to have it? Is that what my relationship to Him is all about? It has to go much deeper with Him. Jesus told us to worship God the Father with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When He blesses me, what is my reaction? Well, I deserve this. I work harder than most folks. I am more favored. Can’t you tell by how well I am blessed? Or, look at me. I am all that and a bag of fries baby! Supersized at that. If He chooses to take everything from me, what would my reaction be then? That’s not fair! Hey, I worked hard for all that! Why are you picking on me? Why I am losing all this and those people over there aren’t even working at all and have more than me? Notice these are all heart issues? Many I have had to deal with before and maybe you have to. Would to God I would have the attitude rather of David and Job.

God said David was a man after God’s own heart. Job said after all he had lost, that even if God chose to slay him, He would still be his God. God is a present help not only in times of trouble (thank you, Jesus), but also in a time of plenty. How we handle all times is based on how deep our relationship is with Him. God loves you if you play the lottery and if you don’t. He loves you when you seem to be doing well and when you are not. What He is after is your heart in order to have a deep, meaningful relationship with you. He wants the best for you and to be vital part of your life.

Are you, like David, after God’s own heart? Put another way, are you seeking what God’s heart seeks. God further said of David that “he will do what I want him to do.” Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments” and “where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.” Where your heart is, is where you will spend the most time, talent, effort, energy, and money. On what do you base your future and look to for direction; luck, chance, fate, crossing your fingers, the stars, horoscope? I don’t believe in luck, I believe in God.

Recently, I found a website that has some good insights on what they call Kingdomnomics. I encourage you to check them out at the link below.

Kingdomnomics  – “Enjoy a life that echoes into eternity.”

 

The First Christmas Gifts

On By T.J. AllenIn Spiritual Condition and DutyLeave a comment

NativityIn the book of John we are told right out of the chute what Jesus would bring into the world at His coming. Though John explains the origin and mission of Jesus, he lists the eight gifts that God presented to the world that first Christmas. The coming and birth of Christ brought forth the culmination of thousands of years of promises.

The first gift was full knowledge. John says of Jesus that He was the Word. The translation here is logos which was the Greek word of the time for knowledge. This knowledge was considered all knowledge. It didn’t simply mean to know something intellectually. Rather, it encompassed all the being, using all our faculties to experience it; to know it intimately. Jesus knew the Father intimately and now He was here to share that knowledge.

The world was full of death. God had created the world. Adam and Eve introduced sin into it and now it was suffering from that sin. The creation and all that was in it was dying. Jesus brought life. Creation was His. He created it, now He was here to re-created it and give it new life. Though He was here to redeem man, that redemption didn’t stop with man. It was for all creation. The birth of Christ set all this in motion.

Mankind was spiritually dark. Jesus brought and is the Light. Man left unto himself will self-destruct. The entire world had come to a place of a spiritual Dark Age. The light in the darkness was now here and man had a way to see through that darkness. The darkness could not extinguish or even diminish the light. The Bethlehem star was representative of the light that now shines if men will only see by it.

What hope did man have of saving himself? Paul puts it plainly: there is no hope aside from God. Man is a spiritually dead creature without the saving power of Christ. I have often said, “Jesus did not come to earth to make bad people good. No, He came to earth to make dead people alive.” We are dead in our sins without Christ. He gives us new life and a new hope in Him.

Jesus brought us adoption into the family of God. Many say that we are all in the family of God. He created us after all. Jesus said quite the opposite. He stated in John 8:44 of those who do evil that they are of their father the devil. All throughout the New Testament people are divided into two categories: children of light, the Father, God, etc. and children of darkness, the devil, dark kingdom, etc. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, since being dead we cannot save ourselves, we are adopted into the Family of God. That adoption can never be revoked. See John 10:28.

Jesus brought a relationship with God. No man has seen God and lived the bible states; however we can see Him in Jesus. He is His Father’s Son. Jesus explained to His disciples toward the last days He was on earth that they had seen the Father, because they had seen Jesus. They had known Jesus intimately. What they had experienced with Jesus they had experienced with God for He was (and is) God now in flesh. This gift we can now experience with the Holy Spirit within us: that relationship with God. Jesus opened up that door through His sacrifice on the cross. See Romans 5:1-5.

Mercy and Grace; Jesus brought us both. One cannot exist without the other. Romans 5:1-5 tells us that we were enemies of the God of the universe. As enemies we deserved to not only be punished, we deserved to be destroyed. However, God is a God of love and He extended that love toward us through His Son (John 3:16). We stood condemned before God (John 3:17-18), but God demonstrated His love for us through Christ. The Christ baby in the manager was the full embodiment of that love. God extended to us mercy by not bringing the full justified punishment for our wrongdoing upon us. That was his mercy. He went further by not only forgiving us, but blessing us even more, by giving us more than we deserve. Jesus opened the door for those blessings of God to be given to us.

The lies of Satan through men had reached a climax. It enslaved mankind. Now Truth was on the scene and the lies could not stand it. Satan must have thought things were rocking along pretty good, then Jesus shows up to expose the deception for what it was. I can just see the light bulb come on as one by one people experienced the “ah ha” moment of their spiritual condition and how they could correct it. Indeed the Truth was given and it had set them free.

All these gifts given to the world that blessed Christmas day were given also to us. The basis of all these gifts is God’s love; the greatest gift. Like any other gift we must receive them. Could you imagine someone giving a gift to someone who didn’t want it? Would you force a gift on someone? “Here! I bought this for you. You must take it! Take it!” No, God does not operate that way. He sent His Son to offer these gifts. They are there for the receiving anytime, not just at Christmas. The choice to receive is up to you. Merry Christmas from God and His Son Jesus.