The Last Vestage Of Winter

Today I watched as rain has been melting away some snow piles that have been created from the snowstorms we had a couple of weeks ago. I also saw the river flowing and rising as it melted the ice pack that has built up from the severe cold temperatures. The temperatures have come up and the weather is warming up to early spring temperatures. I even saw some tulips popping through in our flower garden. Winter has wanted to hold on but slowly the season is drawing to a close. Many are thankful to see spring finally come including myself. But as I thought about it, I was also thinking about something else that seems to ebbing away much like the winter,


I have been watching the news on television and radio and even some newspaper articles that serve to tell me that the godly principles on which this nation was founded on are disappearing quickly today. God was very much at the heart of this nation's founding. He has blessed this nation abundantly over the years because we have remembered that it was His plan for this nation. The sad thing is that as we turn our back on God as a nation we are losing that blessing and beginning to face His judgments. We not only tolerate those things that God hates and calls sin but now we are told to embrace these things. As believers we have always stood for those things that God and His Word said were righteous and worthy. Now even some churches are taking His Word and stripping it of any and all power to transform this world into the image of His Son! Now they want to openly embrace the world's morality and embrace it thus allowing the world to transform the church into it's image! We are hated when we take a stand for righteousness and refuse to accept the world's distorted view. believers have been called to change the world not the other way around. It has to break God's heart when He sees people taking away the very thing that will change peoples' hearts and ultimately change the world. Paul stated it very clearly that the gospel is the power of God for Salvation! Nothing can ever make this world into what it was designed to be by God except God and His power. I believe that it is time we stand up and say with Paul that "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it truly is the power of God for salvation". As the days come to an end before God sends His Son to come get His bride, we need to boldly stand up in this dark and dying world and share this powerful Gospel no matter what it may cost us!


I am reminded of the movie "Independence Day" when the president addressed the men who were about to fight the aliens. He said if this was the day they would cease to be that they would not go quietly into the night. Our enemy wants us to go quietly but we need to stand up and shout out we will not go quietly. Let's take back this nation for God and say enough is enough! Remember that we know had the story ends!

When the Christmas Lights Go Dark

I love Christmas and all it represents. I don't even mind the busy schedule and all the things that take up our time. There are family gatherings, office parties and various church activities which take place during this time of year. It can sometimes be stressful and hectic yet still a wonderful time of the year. It just seems that it takes a long time for Christmas to get here then it is all over before you realize it. New Years comes and goes and the holiday is over. It is when I see the lights in the neighborhood go dark after the final night that makes it real that Christmas is over. I go through the neighborhood and no longer see any lights that makes me aware that I now have 11 months before I see them light up again.


As I thought about Christmas and the sadness I feel when things go back to normal, I give thought that Christmas isn't really a season that last for a few weeks but it is more of an attitude that we should have all year long. Why should we only celebrate Christ coming to this earth as a baby only at Christmas? Shouldn't we be doing that all year long? We should be giving thanks to God for sending His Son to the Earth to become our Savior. The greatest gift we could ever have received is for God to allow Jesus to come to this earth to take away our sin and give us forgiveness and redemption. We can celebrate His coming each and every day we live. The light of Jesus needs to bring light to a lost and dark world. Scripture tells us that the world has seen a great light. That light is not like the Christmas lights that go dark a few weeks. The lights of Christmas are only a reminder of the light He brings to this dark and dying world. He came to this world to bring the light of love and grace to world in need of salvation. .


So yes the lights of Christmas may shine only for a few weeks then go dark until next Christmas season but we can always choose to celebrate because the Light of Christmas will brighten up our hearts and lives each and every day as long as we have Christ in our hearts. When Jesus came to this Earth over 2000 years ago, there was no room in the inn for Him . So the question I have for us today is "Is there room in our hearts for Him today?". I hope each of you who read this have chosen to light your hearts up with His light. Have a blessed New Year in 2015!