All I Want for Christmas
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1 John 2:16,17 NASB
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Romans 8:14-19 NLT
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family - calling him "Father, dear Father." For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures--for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
Did you get what you had hoped for this Christmas? I am blessed to say I had a marvelous Christmas this year. I had my family with me; we had our annual Christmas Eve open house, went to the late service at church and stayed up much, much too late talking and enjoying being together. Christmas day we opened gifts, hung out, hung out some more and ultimately spent the day moving from couch to chair, to another couch, another chair, upstairs, downstairs . . . well, I think you get the point. It was relaxing and very enjoyable. Christmas night we drove around to look at all the Christmas lights – a Moss family tradition. Richmond is apparently in the top ten cities in the country for their tacky light display—and we could certainly understand why!
What is the point? How do my Christmas weekend and Christmas day experiences relate to these passages? This year my husband and I found ourselves wanting to do more for the less fortunate in the area and make Christmas less about us and our family. While we are far from wealthy we feel abundantly blessed in our lives. We are already thinking of next year, and what we can do to make Christmas meaningful for others who don’t have the blessing of family and love, peace and joy for Christmas.
What these verses tell us is that as God’s children, we already have everything—and more—we could ever want or need. We ‘re also reminded that the treasures of this world are fleeting and will last only until we go to the grave. The accumulation of worldly wealth doesn’t mean anything in God’s eyes. What is in our hearts and souls are what are important to Him. What we do with our wealth – financial, spiritual or otherwise – is how we are judged by the One who is the source or everything we have.
As God’s adopted children, we are saved from this world and its sin and shame. We rejoice in the one final and ultimate sacrifice that saved us. Yesterday we celebrated the birth of a tiny baby who slept in a manger trough 2000 years ago. The gift of his life and ultimate death on the Cross is one that never fades, breaks or wears out. I already had everything I wanted for Christmas. The gifts and time with my family were a bonus.
My prayer today is that you remember no matter what you got (or not!) for Christmas, you were already given the greatest gift of all. And that you share that gift with everyone you know.
Mary
Labels: Christmas, gift, Holy Spirit, present, wealth
Cast Your Crown
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Revelation 7:11-1211. And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12. saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."
Revelation 4:10-1210. the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11. "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created."
When I think about heaven, I fell like a little child waiting for Santa Claus! The nearer the calendar draws to Christmas, the more animated and excited I am. It’s so hard to wait for something that amazing! I think that’s why I’m drawn to scripture about heaven lately! When I think about what heaven will be like, I almost can’t contain myself.
I wonder if I will actually be able to see the face of God or if, even in heaven, his glory will be so great that we can’t look upon him. Revelation is John’s accounting of what God revealed to him, including a vision of heaven. In John’s vision, even the earthly powerful and elite threw down their crowns-their possessions, wealth, power—at the foot of the throne of God. None of it matters. None of it sustains. None of it lasts. In utter and complete shame and grief, the earthly kings cast down the symbols of their own greatness.
What crowns will we cast down? What gods are we worshipping in our lives? Does what we say is important match up with how we live? Or will we, like the twenty-four elders arrive in heaven and finally have our minds and hearts and souls opened and God’s glory and wisdom and power and might be revealed? Will it be only then that we give God the honor only he deserves? Will our thanksgiving at that time be for allowing us in his presence in spite of our abject sinfulness?
“Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all”
[I Can Only Imagine]
All will be revealed at that time. Every question we have will dissolve. Pure truth will emanate from the mind of God to our minds. Our tears will dry up. God will dry them all. We cannot begin to imagine what heaven will be like. Mere words are inadequate to even share our individual visions of heaven. We cannot describe the magnitude, the vastness, the all-encompassing goodness, wholeness, light and love that is God, that is from God and that will be ours upon arriving at the throne room.
My heart races at the thought! Until I arrive to that glorious existence, I’m going to try each day to live a life worthy of heaven.
My prayer today is that you cast down your earthly crowns and fall on your face before the throne of God. And that you imagine heaven as you struggle through each day.
Mary
Labels: heaven, power, sin, wealth
