I am looking around at piles of stuff and even more piles of stuff that used to be wrapped around the other piles of stuff.
I love that people love us.
I can't help but feel, however, that Xmas got lost among all the Xmas.
Somewhere under all the vacant boxes and red printed paper shrapnel is the essence of self.
More.more.more.more.
My kids plowed through gifts as though they were on an assembly line. The only appreciation of what was being opened was the opportunity to tear through the next item in line. Go.go.go. More.more.more
I watched my children exhibit that same quality I possess.
Greed.
We need Jesus.
Xmas proves it.
Not only the fact that it is the day we recognize His coming, but also the way we have chosen to memorialize that event by indulging our desire to build bigger barns without Him.
We needed someone to come from outside to save us on the inside. He came from Heaven to earth. He left glory to become a baby.
We celebrate His gracious act of humility and mercy by denying ourselves nothing. We eulogize the death of the Man who said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)" by giving people things they don't need in the Name of Him who is the only gift worth receiving. We set down our cross and pick up our appetite and call it Christmas.
Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner. Especially today amidst the piles of things that would gladly steal my affections and tempt my heart to take comfort not in the presence of a baby, but in the presents under the tree.
Yeah, I know.
It's a Jesus Juke.
But it's legit.
2 legit 2 quit.
But we must.
The baby in the manger gave up everything good to become bad that we who are bad may be called good before God. If we love Him, we strive to be like Him and do like He did. Not because the world needs more selfless people, but because Jesus is worthy of our sacrifice.
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