GIVE LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This time of year the stores are packed with shoppers trying to find that perfect gift to tell their loved ones how much they love them. You go from store to store, looking for that certain something that says what is in your heart. Something that will cause them to remember you each time they look at it. Some of you have even been saving for months for that perfect Christmas gift; some of you are spending more money than you can afford to spend, just to please that special person. After all it's Christmas and it only comes once a year. Right? All depends on what your idea of Christmas is.
How many of us can say that our children know the real meaning of Christmas? How many of us have shared with our children that Christ was born in a manger. Oh yes they see the displays of the manger and think how beautiful it looks. But have you really told them the surroundings of the manger? About the animals that were there, and what it may have smelled like? Do they really know about His birth? It's time we train them now to know about our Savior's birth. Teach them the true meaning of giving and getting a gift.
We've allowed the world to dictate to us how we should celebrate the Birth of Jesus, instead of us showing them what Christmas is all really about. It's time we made a change. The time is now.
God gave His only Son for us. His Son is a gift of Love.
John 3:16 For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
How the Father loves us so.
This is what Christmas is all about The love of the Father and
His Son.
I want to share the GOSPEL OF
CHRIST with you in a way in which you can relate. Read the story below and as you read it try and put yourself
in this man�s position, close
your eyes after reading it and see you if you reach out and give with all your
heart as our Father did to
save us all.
THE
GOSPEL
The day is over and you are driving home.
You tune in your radio and hear about a little village in India where
some villagers have died suddenly, strangely of a flu that has never been seen
before. It's not influenza, but
three of four people are dead, and they are sending some doctors from America to
investigate.
You don't think much of it, but on Sunday when you are coming home from church, you hear again about this strange disease. Only this time they say not three or four villagers, but over 30, 000 villagers in the back hills of this particular area of India have become infected and the number of deaths are in the hundreds. That night it's on the new, people are heading there from the disease center in Atlanta because this disease strain has never been seen before. By Monday morning it's the lead story on the morning news. For it's not just in India now, but Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and before you know it, you are hearing this story everywhere, and now they are calling it a mysterious flu, because they don't know what else to call it.
On the nightly news you hear that the president of France has closed it borders. There are no flights from India, Pakistan or any of the countries where this disease has been seen. You really get worried when you hear about a woman in the hospital in Paris dying of this mystery flu. The disease has now come to Europe.
Panic sets in. The doctors are saying that once you get it, you have it a week before you know it. Then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms, and then you die. Britain closes its borders, but it's too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton has been hit. The President of the United States makes an announcement: "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from Europe and Asia have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I am very sorry. They can't come back until we find a cure for this thing" Within four days our nation has been plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are talking about what if it comes to this country?
Wednesday night you are at your prayer meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and yells, "Turn on the radio, turn on the radio". The announcement comes on the air, two women are lying in the Long Island hospital dying from the mystery flu. Within hours it seem this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working. And then all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken, a cure can be found. A vaccine can be made and it's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected. They ask everyone to do one simple thing, go to your local blood bank or hospital and have your blood type taken.
You and your family go to the hospital as instructed and wait in the long line. There are doctors and nurses coming out to pricking fingers, taking blood and labeling the samples. After taking your blood they tell you to wait in the parking lot and if we call your name you can be dismissed and go home. You and your neighbors stand around scared, wondering what is going to happen, and if this is the end of the world. A young doctor comes out holding a yelling and waving a clipboard. You can't quite make out what he is saying, so he yells again. Your son tugs on your coat and says "Daddy that's me". Before you know it they grab your son. You say :Wait a minute, what's going on? The doctor tells you your son's blood is clean and pure. They want to make sure he doesn't have any disease because they believe he is the type they need.
A few minutes later the doctor and nurses are hugging each other and crying tears of joy. The doctor comes over to you and says "Thank you sir; your son's blood is perfect. It's clean and pure; we can make the vaccine from his blood. Word begins to spread across the parking lot that they have what the need to stop the mystery flu. People are celebrating in the parking lot. The doctor then pulls you aside and asks to talk to you in private. He says, "We didn't realize the donor would be a minor and we need, we need for you to sign a consent form. You begin to sign the form and wonder how many pints of blood they will need. So you ask, "H-h-how many pints? And that's when the doctor's face turns from joy to sadness. He says again, "I had no idea it would be a little child. We weren't prepared. We need it all" Tears fall from your eyes as you say, "But, but I don't understand. He is my only son". The doctor says, I'm sorry sir we are talking about saving the entire world. We need for you to sign. We need it all". You ask, "Can't you do a transfusion?" He tells you if they had clean blood they could. "Will you please sign"? Tears continue to roll down your face and your hand trembles as you sign the form. They ask if you would like a moment with your son before they begin?
Could you walk back to the room? Could you walk back to that room where your son is knowing that he won't be coming home with you? Knowing that you have to sacrifice his life to save the world. Could you walk back to the room where he is waiting for you to come and get him? You know he will be asking what is going on. Could you take his hand and tell him that you love him, and that you would never allow anything bad to happen to him that just didn't have to happen. Could you?
Finally the doctors come in and tell you they need to get started, because people all over the world are dying. What about your son? Could you leave? Could you walk out as he is calling your name? Could you stand to hear him say Father, Father, why have you forsaken me? Could you?
Next week they have a big ceremony honoring your child,
some sleep through it, some don't even bother to come because they better
things to do (basketball, football, movies, parties, etc), and some people just
come because they don't want people talking about them if they don't come.
Would you scream and say to the world "MY SON JUST DIED FOR
YOU AND SOME OF YOU DON'T EVEN CARE? DOES
HIS DEATH MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?
I can't help but wonder if God wants to say the same to
us: MY SON GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU! DOES IT MEAN NOTHING; DON'T YOU KNOW
HOW MUCH I CARE? ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU BELIEVE ON HIM AND DO AS HE
SAID. IT IS SO SIMPLE. HE SAID IT OVER AND OVER WHILE HE WAS HERE:
Mathew 22:37-40 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That
ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one
to another.
DO MEN KNOW YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES?
John 15:7 These things I command you,
that ye love one another. I
COMMAND YOU TO DO THIS.
John 15:12-13 This is my commandment, That ye love
one another, as I have loved you. Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are
my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. ARE YOU MY FRIENDS?
IF SO, GIVE LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY!
You can give love by mending your broken relationships.
How? By praying for those who have misused you, falsely accused you, taken from
you, or abused you. If you start by
praying for them first, when it is time for you to talk with them, the Lord will
have healed both your hearts. Remember:
John 15:7 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
I COMMAND YOU TO DO THIS.
I can't imagine that it was easy for God to send His only Son to save us, but He did. It's past time that we begin to show Him how thankful we are for His sacrifice and celebrate His birth the way He truly wants us to. By remembering why He came, what He did while He was here, what He did for us when He laid down His life, and most of all by keeping His commandments. LOVE.
So don't worry if you don't have money to buy your kids lots of toys, don't worry if you can't buy your friends gifts because they brought you one, and don't worry what people are going to say about you if you don't have what they have. It doesn't matter; give the greatest gift you can.
Love. And you will make Jesus happy. That's all that matters.
MY SON...MY SON"
My Son...Mary's
Son.
My
Son...God's Son.
My son...An especially gifted one.
My
son...A supernatural one.
My son...Born to Mary in the likeness of man.
My
son...Given by God to fulfil a plan.
My son...Lived on earth to only thirty-three.
My
son...Will live in Heaven eternally!
My son...Loved deeply by his mother.
My
son...Loved all like no other.
My son...Had so few years here on earth.
My
son...Born to a virgin, a miracle birth!
My son...Was nailed to a tree.
My
son...Able to set men free.
My son...Died so young with so much to give.
My
son...Gave by dying, so all could live!
mmThen after wiping her tears,
mmMary
looked up to Heaven
mmand
asked God "WHY?"
mmGod
answered her with this reply.
"Jesus
was only lent to you,
mmbut
He is really...
MY
SON!"
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HAVE A BLESSED AND MERRY CHRISTMAS, and
remember GIVE LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
LOVE,
Shearon
chosen1292@gmail.com
