Far away the Third World War may be brewing. Nearer to home, inflation has eaten what little we did have. In the home, tension and challenges keep mounting up… and it’s Christmas Time!
Do we max out our already maxed-out credit cards to keep up with past celebrations of Christmas, buying gifts to place under the tree…?
Or do we shut ourselves in and pull the proverbial blanket over our heads hoping all this is nothing but a bad dream?
Or do we dig down deep, trust the Lord to provide our “daily bread” as our cup surely will overflow with His goodness, and creatively celebrate Christmas?
Which do you choose?
Perhaps our faith, “—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — [is being] proved genuine [so that it] may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:7 NIV84). As we engage these purifying trials during this Christmastime, I want to encourage you most sincerely that, “Yes, Christmas is worth celebrating!” The Lord is giving us ample opportunity to trust Him, especially during this celebration, challenging us to think in different ways, replacing the “old wineskins” (that are cracked and faded) with “new wineskins (that are soft and flexible).
We can join the prophet in rejoicing no matter what because, “God is Good All the Time No Matter What!”
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” — Habakkuk 3:17–18 (NIV84)
Join me in the Celebration because it is worth it,
Pastor Mike