As a child I knew where Mom hid our Christmas and birthday gifts. I also knew that I was not supposed to look there. One year I snuck around to discover the toy John Deere tractor that I had been hoping for. I was wrong, for I did it in direct disobedience to my parents.
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Now as a parent myself, I face the challenge of keeping the gifts a secret from my little boys. Leading up to Christmas, I had not noticed that Crystal had taken out the new pair of boots to wrap when I got our little guy up from his nap. He was definitely excited about them but had to wait a while to open them. He was definitely pleased with them and now after Christmas he runs around the house with them on.
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Hiding gifts from a little boy is one thing, but hiding them from their mother is another. I have actually started a little game with her by hiding her gifts in plain sight. A few years ago we moved right before her birthday, so I knew it would be difficult to hide her gift through the move since she was actively involved with the packing. I solved the problem by placing her gift in the trunk of the car with some other items so that she could easily see it if she just looked. That way there was nothing suspicious about it.
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I had some more fun this year for our anniversary. I had bought some candy for her while on a trip and hid it under the front seat of the van. She did not mean to find it but as she was unloading the van, wondered what that bag was doing under the seat and discovered her candy a bit early. Of course, I still wanted to surprise here so I got another box and this one was a solid color with a stripe down the middle, so I placed it on the book shelf among the other books. On our anniversary, I called her into the office and told her to get a book from the shelf so that she would finally find it. She was surprised because she had looked at that shelf many times without seeing her box of candy.
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What a reminder that we can have something so close and so accessible and still miss it. The teaching of Christ is a lot like that. It is right there in front of us if we would only look to our Bibles, but even many that do end up missing it’s truth. Matthew 11:25 shows us that the truth is so simple a child can understand it, yet many miss it: “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
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So how could something that is right in front of a wise and prudent man be missed? Could it be that they really don’t want to see it? The Apostle Paul shows us that the gospel is hid to many because they are lost. In other words, they don’t understand what Christ has taught and what He has done in paying for their sins because they have rejected Him as their Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
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The point is, you cannot expect the scriptures to make sense if you have rejected the God of the Bible. The treasures are hid in plain sight if you will but believe in Christ alone as your Lord and Savior. “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Cardboard Christmas
We don’t buy our little boys many toys. We don’t have to because Grandma does it for us. We have a special place in the corner of the living room where our little 2 year old Jared can keep his toys. The other day he had lost interest in them and began to rummage through drawers. I directed him to his corner and the brightly colored toys for him to amuse himself with. Amongst that pile of play things was a discarded cardboard insert from a fabric spool. Instead of going for the nice store bought items, he began to play with that piece of cardboard and was soon sharing it with his baby brother who also enjoyed playing with it.
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That brought to mind memories of my own childhood. We typically received a lot of toys at Christmas time. Again, my Grandma and Grandpa were big contributors. In spite of all the toys, one of the best things about the Christmas gifts were all the boxes. It was so much fun to play with the boxes that the gifts came in and the bigger the box, the better.
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I remember one year in particular because there were some especially big boxes left over after the gifts had been opened and Mom let me have them. Wow! I wasn’t all that big yet, and these boxes were big enough for me to crawl into. I then got an idea. If I taped the boxes together in an “L” shape and cut some windows in one it would look like a truck cab. I was able to talk Mom into letting me use a scissors, and have some masking tape (I had not yet discovered duct tape). Soon I had my own toy truck that I could sit in.
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I can’t remember anything else I got for Christmas that year, but I can still remember that cardboard truck, and apart from the masking tape, it was free. What a precious reminder that the best things in life really are free.
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We must not forget that the real meaning of Christmas is not about boxes and toys, or even about us giving gifts to each other. It is about God coming into this world as the Son of God in order to give the gift of eternal life to all who believe in Him. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
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The best Christmas gift of all is not a cardboard box or a fancy toy. It is the salvation that comes through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to really understand that gift, we must understand John 3:16. Just as my Mom loves her grandkids so much that she wants them to have Christmas gifts, our Heavenly Father loves us enough that He provided a way for us to have eternal life.
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The reason we needed that gift is because of sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Notice that it is a gift, and looking back at John 3:16, we realize that all we have to do to receive that gift is to believe. Ephesians 2:8-9 also tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
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So what does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? It means to believe God. That means believing all that God said about the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Read what God directed the prophets to write about Him in the Old Testament. Isaiah chapter 53, Isaiah 9:6, and Micah 5:2 are a few clear examples of God telling us about Christ long before He was even born. You need to believe that God said in Isaiah 6:9 that Christ is the Mighty God. That means you have to believe what Christ said about Himself when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
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Belief in Christ means believing everything He says and thus putting your complete confidence in Him alone for your salvation. If you do that, according to His words in John 3:16, He then guarantees you everlasting life. That is a gift that lasts forever. My mom threw away my cardboard truck long ago, but I never have to worry about losing the best gift of all, eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ.
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The Christmas gifts my kids get from Grandma cost them nothing, but Grandma had to spend money for them. Our salvation is also a gift, and costs us nothing but belief. Instead of cash, the purchase of salvation cost God something even more precious. It cost Him the very life blood of Christ. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28) If you want to receive the best Christmas gift ever, realize that it is free if you will believe God, and not argue with His truth concerning Christ as Savior. Jesus promised in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” That is good news, the good news of the gospel.
-
That brought to mind memories of my own childhood. We typically received a lot of toys at Christmas time. Again, my Grandma and Grandpa were big contributors. In spite of all the toys, one of the best things about the Christmas gifts were all the boxes. It was so much fun to play with the boxes that the gifts came in and the bigger the box, the better.
-
I remember one year in particular because there were some especially big boxes left over after the gifts had been opened and Mom let me have them. Wow! I wasn’t all that big yet, and these boxes were big enough for me to crawl into. I then got an idea. If I taped the boxes together in an “L” shape and cut some windows in one it would look like a truck cab. I was able to talk Mom into letting me use a scissors, and have some masking tape (I had not yet discovered duct tape). Soon I had my own toy truck that I could sit in.
-
I can’t remember anything else I got for Christmas that year, but I can still remember that cardboard truck, and apart from the masking tape, it was free. What a precious reminder that the best things in life really are free.
-
We must not forget that the real meaning of Christmas is not about boxes and toys, or even about us giving gifts to each other. It is about God coming into this world as the Son of God in order to give the gift of eternal life to all who believe in Him. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
-
The best Christmas gift of all is not a cardboard box or a fancy toy. It is the salvation that comes through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to really understand that gift, we must understand John 3:16. Just as my Mom loves her grandkids so much that she wants them to have Christmas gifts, our Heavenly Father loves us enough that He provided a way for us to have eternal life.
-
The reason we needed that gift is because of sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Notice that it is a gift, and looking back at John 3:16, we realize that all we have to do to receive that gift is to believe. Ephesians 2:8-9 also tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
-
So what does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? It means to believe God. That means believing all that God said about the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Read what God directed the prophets to write about Him in the Old Testament. Isaiah chapter 53, Isaiah 9:6, and Micah 5:2 are a few clear examples of God telling us about Christ long before He was even born. You need to believe that God said in Isaiah 6:9 that Christ is the Mighty God. That means you have to believe what Christ said about Himself when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
-
Belief in Christ means believing everything He says and thus putting your complete confidence in Him alone for your salvation. If you do that, according to His words in John 3:16, He then guarantees you everlasting life. That is a gift that lasts forever. My mom threw away my cardboard truck long ago, but I never have to worry about losing the best gift of all, eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ.
-
The Christmas gifts my kids get from Grandma cost them nothing, but Grandma had to spend money for them. Our salvation is also a gift, and costs us nothing but belief. Instead of cash, the purchase of salvation cost God something even more precious. It cost Him the very life blood of Christ. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28) If you want to receive the best Christmas gift ever, realize that it is free if you will believe God, and not argue with His truth concerning Christ as Savior. Jesus promised in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” That is good news, the good news of the gospel.
I've Been Shot
Thanksgiving was a happy time for our family. The food was great even though I ate too much of it and the time spent with family was a blessing. I soon learned that not all families had had such a joyous holiday. In Florida, a man, suddenly, without warning, went on a shooting rampage, killing 4 relatives. Closer to home, a Russian roulette game gone wrong took the life of a Minnesota teenager. What a reminder that a harmless gun, like so many other good tools, can be deadly if used maliciously or irresponsibly by a sinful man.
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As a child, I was taught that guns could be dangerous, though not evil. I was also taught that using them in an irresponsible manner was evil. Therefore, if I ever hurt someone with a gun, the gun was not at fault, I was. Blaming guns for death and crime is symptomatic of a society that is not willing to take responsibility for sin. We must not forget that the scriptures told us that the wages of sin is death long before the gun was ever invented. It also tells us that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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I bring up the subject of guns, not to open up a debate on the Second Amendment, but to illustrate how easy it is to take a statement out of context. Let me make such a statement, “I have been shot by multiple family members.” This is a true statement. My father, both my brothers, and my brother-in-law have all shot me. If I ended the article here, you may be left wondering how we were able to have such a joyous holiday time of thanksgiving to God this year.
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Let me put the statement into a broader context. Going back to my preteen childhood years, we once received dart guns for Christmas. Now they were not the sharp darts, like the deadly lawn dart game, but the little plastic darts with a rubber plunger on the end that was shot by a spring activated gun. The plunger was to allow the darts to stick to a window, mirror, or refrigerator. Lets face it, they couldn’t be too dangerous if Mom would allow us to shoot at a mirror with them. Now we could debate the morality of shooting at each other with them, but I must admit that one of my favorite childhood memories of my father is this “mature” middle aged farmer running around the house, hiding behind the door frames, and shooting his children as they attempted to shoot him first (with a rubber dart).
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Several years later, my little brother began to play paintball with his friends and invited me to join them. This was even more exciting than playing dart guns. My brothers and I definitely had fun running through the woods shooting at one another, being careful to wear the proper safety gear before we played. It was actually much safer than football.
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After Crystal and I were married, it did not take long before my brother-in-law shot me. This time it was not during a game, and it was not a toy gun. Sure, he had shot me earlier with his super soaker, but this time could have been much more serious. We were installing soffit and facia on a house and were using an air powered staple gun to attach the soffits when the safety trigger malfunctioned and a staple brushed my face. The wound was only a scratch, but it alerted us to the danger.
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My stories about being shot have a much different meaning than the recent news headlines. Once you put them into their proper context they make more sense. I could say the same thing about our understanding of the Word of God. It would be easy to take a passage from the Bible and make it sound much different than what was actually being said. That is why we must study the scripture so that we are not ashamed for taking it out of context. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) I encourage you to bring your Bibles to church to know if the preacher is actually doing this. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11).
-
As a child, I was taught that guns could be dangerous, though not evil. I was also taught that using them in an irresponsible manner was evil. Therefore, if I ever hurt someone with a gun, the gun was not at fault, I was. Blaming guns for death and crime is symptomatic of a society that is not willing to take responsibility for sin. We must not forget that the scriptures told us that the wages of sin is death long before the gun was ever invented. It also tells us that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-
I bring up the subject of guns, not to open up a debate on the Second Amendment, but to illustrate how easy it is to take a statement out of context. Let me make such a statement, “I have been shot by multiple family members.” This is a true statement. My father, both my brothers, and my brother-in-law have all shot me. If I ended the article here, you may be left wondering how we were able to have such a joyous holiday time of thanksgiving to God this year.
-
Let me put the statement into a broader context. Going back to my preteen childhood years, we once received dart guns for Christmas. Now they were not the sharp darts, like the deadly lawn dart game, but the little plastic darts with a rubber plunger on the end that was shot by a spring activated gun. The plunger was to allow the darts to stick to a window, mirror, or refrigerator. Lets face it, they couldn’t be too dangerous if Mom would allow us to shoot at a mirror with them. Now we could debate the morality of shooting at each other with them, but I must admit that one of my favorite childhood memories of my father is this “mature” middle aged farmer running around the house, hiding behind the door frames, and shooting his children as they attempted to shoot him first (with a rubber dart).
-
Several years later, my little brother began to play paintball with his friends and invited me to join them. This was even more exciting than playing dart guns. My brothers and I definitely had fun running through the woods shooting at one another, being careful to wear the proper safety gear before we played. It was actually much safer than football.
-
After Crystal and I were married, it did not take long before my brother-in-law shot me. This time it was not during a game, and it was not a toy gun. Sure, he had shot me earlier with his super soaker, but this time could have been much more serious. We were installing soffit and facia on a house and were using an air powered staple gun to attach the soffits when the safety trigger malfunctioned and a staple brushed my face. The wound was only a scratch, but it alerted us to the danger.
-
My stories about being shot have a much different meaning than the recent news headlines. Once you put them into their proper context they make more sense. I could say the same thing about our understanding of the Word of God. It would be easy to take a passage from the Bible and make it sound much different than what was actually being said. That is why we must study the scripture so that we are not ashamed for taking it out of context. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) I encourage you to bring your Bibles to church to know if the preacher is actually doing this. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11).
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