By Nanyamka Boyer
Beloved brothers and sisters in our Lord and Sweet Savior, Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that you are having a blessed day and are remembering our Lord Jesus, as you continue to prepare for this Christmas. Let us on this day remember that our God is ALWAYS with us, in our hearts, as we have accepted Him, as our personal Savior and Lord. And is also all around us, through His faithful Holy Spirit.
Let us also remember the true reason of why we celebrate Christmas, which is to honor His birthday and is not for us to indulge ourselves in the lusts of the flesh and lusts of the eyes, that the Lord warns us to stay away from, through His beloved Apostle John in 1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
So let us be thankful for the blessings, He has already bestowed upon us and be content with the blessings, we have already been able to obtain by His grace, and not be greedy. For when we do, we sin against Him and are serving the flesh, and are not walking in and after the Holy Spirit.
Remember what the Lord also tells us through the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." And we know that with this He also means that, He will supply all of our needs, according to His riches in glory, and will not forget about us, when He says that He will not leave us nor forsake us. Remember He cares!
Let us also remember that Christmas is only about our Savior Jesus Christ and not about Santa Claus, which is NOT true, but a lie from the pit of Hell created by the master of deception, who is Satan and as His Word says in 1 John 2:21 "I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth."
And I have just heard the Lord remind me of what He says in James 4:4-6 to give unto you: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses (here he means spiritually, for when we seek after the flesh, and idols in this world, we commit spiritual adultery before the Lord), know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace; therefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."
Therefore let us remember what also the Lord has just reminded to give to you, that the pleasures of sin only last for a season, as He tells us through the Apostle Paul in Hebrews, about Moses who chose to rather suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, let us read to refresh our memory in Hebrews 11:24-26 "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt (now to us the treasures of the world): for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward."
And we also know that the end of those things is death, as it is written in Romans 6:21 "What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." So let us be wise and ALWAYS remember, that to every thing under heaven, there's a time and a season, including living after the flesh, as it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
So let us honor our Lord Jesus Christ this Christmas, by truly giving Him our hearts, souls and lives and by truly being content with all the blessings He has already bestowed upon us, whether they are spiritual blessings or material blessings. And let us remember that there's always someone out there, who is in worse shape than we are, spiritually, physically or financially and we should consider them above our own wants and needs.
For as the Lord says and has once again reminded me to give unto you, what He says through the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:35 "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Have a blessed and Merry Christmas and remember that you are never alone, and that there is a God in the Heavens and here on Earth, who loves you more than anyone else in this world could ever love you and cares about you greatly, all the year long!