Luke 1:47, 49
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me."
Christmas Blessings Friends!
God gave me a perfect sermon illustration recently.
Several months ago, I noticed a chip in my truck's windshield. Because it seemed fairly small and not a big deal, I kept procrastinating taking the time to get it fixed. For days on end, I'd forget it was even there. But then I'd see it again and think, I really need to take care of that!
Then, as I was on my way to the office yesterday, I suddenly noticed that the small chip had turned into a HUGE crack in my windshield that went from one side of my truck to the other! This is not good! A small chip had turned into a dangerously huge crack!
And the Holy Spirit reminded me, this is how it is in the spiritual sense when we don't pro- actively seek God's help to fix all the little cracks in us!!! We see some of the issues in our lives and relationships as small and insignificant. As long as we can keep ourselves convinced that something is no big deal, we can more easily ignore the problem all together.
We procrastinate and decide that we will 'have it fixed' later. But the issue doesn't go away. It becomes more unstable and suddenly we realize that the thing we thought was just a little problem has turned into a huge, dangerous entity in our lives.
We need to pay attention to the little things in our lives friends. We need to get the little chips and cracks in us fixed BEFORE it's too late and they turn into much, much bigger things.
For instance, we may think we're entitled to complain and grumble about the little things. We complain about the holidays. We complain about the shopping. We complain about the decorating and the baking. A little bit here and a little bit there. We think it's no big deal to grumble and complain. And maybe at first, it isn't a big deal. But those seemingly little things can create instability and before we know it, we've crossed over into dangerous ground with our God!
Grumbling and complaining is one thing we don’t get too concerned about these days. I mean everybody grumbles about something, right? Husbands and wives complain about each other. Kids tell each other how terrible their folks are. Christians grumble about one another – even about their leaders!
The nation of Israel had a long history of grumbling and complaining. You can read about the misery it brought them in the first five books of the Old Testament. Those books send a clear message, God REALLY dislikes grumbling, murmuring and complaining! And there can be serious consequences from it. Look at this verse:
"Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped (Numbers 11:1-2)."
I have to confess that I have found myself 'grumbling' lately. Oh sure, I have found plenty of good reasons to grumble. I can easily qualify and justify all my complaints! I can blame other people, or circumstances in my life, or even God Himself for not changing certain situations sooner. I can convince myself that my complaining is no big deal. It's a small thing. I'll worry about it later.
But God comes to me today and says, I want you to fix this 'little problem' now! Because God loves us SO MUCH, He wants to keep us from harm. He wants to help us fix our little cracks before they turn into huge problems!
If I had my windshield fixed when it only had a little crack, they wouldn't have to replace the entire windshield. It could have been patched and repaired, no big deal.
If we stay alert and pay attention to the small cracks that creep into our lives, they too will likely be much easier and quicker to fix. If we ignore them, we might suddenly find that we've crossed into a dangerous situation.
Friends, let's not MISS CHRISTMAS by grumbling and complaining about all the things we 'get to do.' Let's not make it about us at all! Let's keep Christ in Christmas by honoring Him with every word that comes out of our mouths!
We are SO BLESSED by our Loving God and we are not 'entitled' to grumble! God always tells me to teach you what He's teaching me. I am convicted and humbled. I am determined to apply His teachings to my life and I am praying that you too have that same determination!
We are BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF that we GET to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!! Are we going to let God hear us complaining about that???
Watch out for those cracks and chips in our character that may seem small. Pay attention and ask MIGHTY GOD to help you fix them quickly. Do not delay! Keep Christ in Christmas and CELEBRATE how Love came down at Christmas!
1 Thes. 5:6
"So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled."
We get to celebrate the birth of Christ! Praying for the joy of the season to overwhelm each and everyone!!!
Merry Christmas!!!