Good VS. Bad Christmas Spotlight
It seems as though during the Christmas season, a certain ebb and flow occurs. Really good things are happening and really bad things are happening. It's like good and evil are struggling for the spotlight. You know of someone that has just sustained a knee replacement and is doing very well and then...you hear of someone that has recently been diagnosed with cancer. You read of people donating money for a special charity and then...you hear of the greedy "rats" stealing that money. You hear of the pregnancy of someone trying to conceive for a very long time and then...you hear of a toddler being abused and beaten to death. The contrast seems to be ratcheted up several degrees during this season. As I have gotten older, I have noticed it more and more. The eternal struggle between good and evil will someday come to a decisive end, but until then, Satan will not go unnoticed. He hates not being in the spotlight, he loves being the spoiler, and he really loves trying to make us believe that God has left the planet and will never, ever come back. Satan is a good liar--a master.
We can counter his attacks by praising God for the good, because "every good and perfect gift is from above."
We can recognize that humans are not forced to make good choices, and for the most part, they do not make good choices. (I see it all the time in the Weight Room--poor eating choices, lack of discipline to exercise, taking drugs to deal with stress rather than working out).
We can pray for spiritual eyes that focus on the real story--that because humans are greedy, selfish, and easily discouraged, we will always need Someone bigger and better to come along and be our Hero, our Rescuer, our Savior. God knew from the beginning that's the way it would be. Jesus, His Son, accepted the job assignment, and willingly gave His life so that we would be "made right" before the Father. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
As His children, we can do all that we can to "feed His sheep", and to encourage and love one another. Yes, there might be a lot of sad and bad that we would like to erase from the Christmas season, but in the ebb and flow of good versus evil, it gives us an opportunity to appreciate even more, the day when there will be no more tears; when things too wonderful for words will be the normal day to day experience. The day when death will no longer separate us from loved ones. That day will come only because of the day that has already come--Christmas! What a wonderful time to say, "Thank you and to Rejoice"--especially when that's the last thing Satan wants us to do.
We can counter his attacks by praising God for the good, because "every good and perfect gift is from above."
We can recognize that humans are not forced to make good choices, and for the most part, they do not make good choices. (I see it all the time in the Weight Room--poor eating choices, lack of discipline to exercise, taking drugs to deal with stress rather than working out).
We can pray for spiritual eyes that focus on the real story--that because humans are greedy, selfish, and easily discouraged, we will always need Someone bigger and better to come along and be our Hero, our Rescuer, our Savior. God knew from the beginning that's the way it would be. Jesus, His Son, accepted the job assignment, and willingly gave His life so that we would be "made right" before the Father. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
As His children, we can do all that we can to "feed His sheep", and to encourage and love one another. Yes, there might be a lot of sad and bad that we would like to erase from the Christmas season, but in the ebb and flow of good versus evil, it gives us an opportunity to appreciate even more, the day when there will be no more tears; when things too wonderful for words will be the normal day to day experience. The day when death will no longer separate us from loved ones. That day will come only because of the day that has already come--Christmas! What a wonderful time to say, "Thank you and to Rejoice"--especially when that's the last thing Satan wants us to do.
posted by Joyce at 9:25 PM
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