Matthew 28:1-10 “He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.” Matthew 28:6 HCSBChocolate is a great thing!! Wait…on behalf of my wife, let me rephrase that. Chocolate is the most extraordinary, tremendous, incredible, amazing thing ever. There…that’s more like it. Especially during the holiday season. You visit people’s homes and they’ve got it laid out everywhere. During a past holiday weekend, I was visiting my parents, and one evening was sitting around the den. As usual, chocolate was lying around everywhere. I, subconsciously, began stuffing my face with these tiny morsels of heaven. (I know none of you can relate.) Now, some of you may be thinking, “What’s wrong with that?” Well, I’ll tell you. Later on that evening, we all decided to go out for dinner to celebrate the holiday. When we got to the restaurant, I ordered a savory prime rib steak with a baked potato and soup. I awaited anxiously for my meal to arrive (ohh, it was going to be good) and when it did…...I ate four bites. I had filled my belly with so much good candy; I didn’t have enough room for my incredible meal. I sacrificed the best just to settle for something good!
Here’s the trouble most of us get into these days, especially around the holidays. We spend so much time on all the “good” things Christmas has to offer, and we never tap into the “best” thing. Christmas provides us a time to reflect upon the “greatest” gift of all time. Emmanuel, God With Us, immortal Deity, made human flesh, walking this earth. Born of a virgin. Son of a carpenter. Sacrificed with the tools of His trade. Sacrificed by the sins of His creation. And by that sacrifice, we are made alive…I repeat…WE ARE MADE ALIVE!!!! John 11:25-26 says, “I am the resurrection and the life...Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever.” John 4:14 proclaims, “Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever!” WHAT A PROMISE!!
When was the last time you reflected…CORRECTION…acted upon the meaning of Christmas? When was the last time you refused to accept something “good”, in order to obtain the “best?” Sacrificed decorating the tree until a time when the entire family could join in? Forfeited attending “another” Christmas dinner party to maybe serve those who have no dinner parties to go to? Or maybe just take the time to send a Christmas card to someone who’s NOT on your Christmas card list and ask them for forgiveness for something in your past. More importantly, have you sacrificed your time during this hectic season to rest at the feet of Jesus? (I believe the Bible refers to this as “abiding in His love.”) Have you abided lately?
This Christmas season, we all have more choices to make than we can count. And, not to put too much pressure on us, but with each choice comes an overall choice to be made. Do we settle for the ordinary, mundane, routine, habitual, everyday run around that comes with the season? Or do we choose the extravagant? The exceptional? The astonishing? The wonderful things Jesus has to offer us? This is truly a wonderful time of the year. But this world wants you to believe that it has the best there is. Little does it know that there is something better. There is a wonderful “steak dinner” that offers a wonderful life…TRUE LIFE. And it is only found in Him…with a capital “H.”
Father, God, You make the ultimate choice in order to give us TRUE LIFE! You purposed that nothing would keep us from having the BEST. During this holiday season and this upcoming year, grant us discernment so we may seek the best You have to offer. Let us not get bogged down with what this world says is okay, but look to You with every choice we make. We praise You and thank You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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