As we have been blessed to come to the end of another year that has been filled with seasons where we have experienced ups and downs, hope and despair, certainty and confusion, sickness and health, growth and stagnation, success and failure as well as contentment and covetousness, we have to thank God for His mercy which the Bible says endures forever. Now I am sure that you have noticed the apparent conflicting nature of the preceding statements, but the wisdom of God contained in the book of Ecclesiastes employs the same contradictions when it says: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8)
We know that all of these things are guaranteed to happen and will routinely and periodically occur as long as the earth is here. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8: 22) But there are some things in which the season never ends, and the time is always now. Some of those things include patience, compassion, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, forbearance and faith. Other perpetual instructions in God’s Word command us to rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, to give thanks in every thing and to abstain from the appearance of evil. Not to mention, “…offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." (Hebrews 13: 15)
With that being said, as you know we are now in that season and time of year where we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It has been over twenty centuries since the arrival of Jesus to inaugurate the Kingdom of God here on earth. A divinely prophetic event so glorious and anxiously awaited, that God sent His personal envoy, a heavenly messenger to make the pronouncement of the glory that had just occurred on this celestial soil. “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2: 8-14) A stunningly beautiful and soul-stirring proclamation!
But though this time of year has been selected to honor and remember the birth of Christ, in all actuality, God sending His Son is an event so monumental that it is worthy of remembrance all year long. However, even in this season that mankind has set aside exclusively for the glorification of God and His beloved Son, the passage of time has resulted in the world’s attention gradually shifting from Jesus to other things. Things such as Santa Claus and snowboards, trimming trees and traveling, mistletoe and movies, decorations and department stores, gifts and gatherings.
These are all fine, but are we losing sight of what is truly the “reason for all seasons?” There seems to be more and more focus on the activities associated with Christmas, and less and less focus on the Man who actually is the personification of Christmas. Think about it. Even when songs about Christ are sung, is each individual rendition really sung with a deep appreciation, reverence and love for the one who left His home in heaven and came to sacrifice His life for us? Because of the commercialization of Christmas, we must always be aware of the possible tendency to be too entangled in rollicking to the repetition of rhythmic rhymes and not meditating on the message of the Master and Messiah. To prepare for and prevent this position I propose that we always purposely place the Prince of Peace at the pinnacle of our personal passion.
Dear ones, as we prepare to burst on to the scene called 2022, that is if God is willing, I want to remind you and encourage you that although God has given us many things to enjoy in this life, the most important thing is to “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3: 2-4)
O come all ye faithful, listen for and be guided by the voice of God and be determined to keep Jesus the #1 priority in your life. Trust Him, lean on Him, learn of Him, rely on Him and obey Him. Bless the Lord at all times and let His praise continually be in your mouth because He knows all of your needs. And what we need most of all, is Him, no matter what season it is. When we have God on our side, a change in seasons has no effect on our productivity as holy children of the Most High. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17: 7-8)
May the Lord bless each of you with health and happiness, and may you have peace with God by His love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Consider those who are less fortunate and help where you can. And remember every day that God’s gift of grace is the best present you will ever receive because Jesus was born to save you, and me, and the whole world. Jesus is the reason for all seasons!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. And to all a good night.
Comments