If the 70 years or so of life here on Earth is all there is, we would live as though it is all there is. We would have no need for grace, let alone allow ourselves to be changed by it.
We would measure success by the size of our homes, the price of our cars, and the amount money we have in the bank. We would bust through the doors of stores at 4 in the morning (after standing in line for 3 hours) to get great deals on more stuff, even though we already park our cars in the driveway because our attics and garages are already full of stuff. On the way there, we would be joined by countless others doing the same thing. We would drive past numerous other people, also up all night because they are hungry, homeless, or grieving.
I wonder what might happen if only half of the time, money, attention, and effort that Christians devote to Black Friday were used to proclaim the gospel, minister to those in need, and otherwise show the face of Christ in our increasingly Godless American culture. Will we ever know as long as so many Christians lead lives that are largely indistinguishable from those who do not claim to follow Jesus? Sadly, most Christians will seek a good deal with far more fervor than they will seek the heart of God.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 states, “…if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ….” Looking at how so many brothers and sisters in Christ respond to Black Friday, it is clear that the god of this world is blinding a good number of believers too.
I was looking at Facebook the other day and a friend that is Jewish asked in their post if it wrong for them to enjoy Christmas music because they were Jewish. One of their friends commented that no because it was all about a fat man dressed in a red costume and a constant barrage of commercials and sales.
ReplyDeleteThis time of year is supposed to remind us of the birth of our Savior and Redeemer. Our society has kidnapped it for commerciality.
You know,our lives are all about choices that we make. Some people make choices that would be different from ours,but it was their choice.We all have to learn to live with the choices that we make during our life time.Let's make up our minds to make choices based on the word of God and just maybe, we will help others to do the same by watching us and the outcome of our choices. Be a friend to a sinner this Christmas!
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