“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10 NKJV
You Can Obey Without Knowing All of the Details
- It requires faith.
Many claim to have faith, but few live according to their claim.
“Faith is merely trust with its tennis shoes on.” Maston Jackson
- It requires surrender.
Surrender is not in our nature unless we are overwhelmed by superior force.
Even in the face of superior force, some refuse to surrender. Pride seals their defeat.
- It requires three-fold action.
1. Admit that God is right.
2. Embrace the adventure.
3. Move at and in God’s direction
“Why should God grant one more thing to men and women who know but refuse to obey His instructions?”
You Can Sit Tight Anywhere God Puts You
- Abraham was not at home.
Home was Ur of the Chaldees; modern day Iraq.
- He was viewed as a foreigner.
He moved to a new neighborhood where he knew no one.
- He led his children and grandchildren to sit tight as well.
Only danger from family violence (Jacob, who fled to Haran but later returned) and famine caused Abraham’s extended family to leave the land for an extended period of time.
You Can Wait As Long As It Takes
- You may never see the results.
Walking in faith is the best use of life regardless of the other goals you may have.
Beware of embracing faith with personal gain in mind.
Avoid the “What’s in it for me?” trap.
- Your children may never see the results.
Your faithfulness can become a beacon in their own journey of faith.
- God will not only see the results but guide it and finish it.
A Wise Celebration: The Christ of Christmas
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/DaydreamsGirl
That Jesus Christ was born in the manner described in scripture is an inescapable conclusion, but is it an event that we should commemorate? The assertion by some that we should refrain from celebrating His birth, especially a Christmas observance, is an opinion with little basis in God’s word. As a matter of fact, rejecting the idea is itself out of line with scripture.
Angels, shepherds, the Magi, and even the Creator himself marked the event with much fanfare. Shepherds were invited by angels to attend the birth celebration. An angelic praise fest and a new star cannot be considered minimal or inconsequential. In short, a celebration with attendees from heaven and earth most certainly did occur at God’s behest.
So, how does the absence of a Biblical command to celebrate the birth of the Savior equate the prohibition of the same?
To discourage or even prohibit a memorial celebration of this magnitude, based upon anything other than a “thus saith the LORD” violates the very guideline that I was taught in my childhood. “Speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where the Bible is silent”, was the mantra that I heard early and often. However, this was not the only reason cited. The Christmas observance was not a part of the first century tradition, on which grounds some would reject it. The argument that it should be avoided because we cannot know if it is the actual date, has no precedent in the pages of scripture but emanates from the rationale of man. So likewise does the argument that it may be “denominational” in nature.
Students of the stars saw THE star which called their attention to the birth of the King of kings. They made their way to the child born in Bethlehem. The modern approach to Christmas is man-made to be sure, but it is the one season when men are openly reminded of the birth of a Savior. The star may have indicated where the child lay, but it also fired the starter’s pistol which moved pagan men to find Christ. Maybe if we spent more time using the celebration of Christmas as an opportunity to meet at the manger, we might just lead a few to the cross.
Criticize it if you want, but scripture is clear; “he that winneth souls is wise.” To reject a globally recognized opportunity to call all men to Jesus on the basis of arguments so intrinsically unscriptural, is anything BUT wise.
By the way, if you insist on rejecting the celebration of Christ’s birth, stop with the gifts and any observance of the holiday. It presents a bit of a hypocritical problem to indulge in the celebration of the season but completely reject the historical significance.