December 7 – Focusing on God's Standards

        Psalm 89:16 – "They rejoice in [God's] name all day long; they exult in [God's] righteousness."

        This verse conveys the opposite mindset reflected in December 6th's topic. While the sinful culture should repulse us Christians, we need to have something stronger and better upon which to focus, lest we fall into despair. God is still in control and allowing man to make his own decisions.

        God's righteous standard comes from his very character, which is displayed in his reign as king of the universe. Verse 14 of this same Psalm states that "righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you." While the foundations of righteousness are crumbling around us (Psalm 11:3), what are believers supposed to do? We are to be examples of salt and light in this wicked world. Part of doing that is focusing daily – thinking deeply – on the standard of righteousness. Philippians 4:8 gives us the command "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things." If that reflection does not come easily, then we have to train ourselves to do so. With God's help, we can have our minds transformed, which concept appears in another command in Romans 12:2.

        Focusing on God's righteousness takes work. It is a conscious effort, a continual battle of the mind. For me, it means more meditation in God's word, and less news coverage on the TV. For you, it might mean less movie watching, and more fellowship with other believers that focuses on our purpose for living. However the focus happens, it will require a continual change on our part.

December 25 – Special Days

        Romans 14:5 – "One man considers one day more sacred than others. Another man considers every day alike. Each man should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so in reverence to the Master."

        As an adult, I have come to loathe Christmas Day and the entire Christmas season. From my experience with family, it has turned into a day of selfishness, indulgence, certain expectations, a veneer of religious sentiment, and a display of a waste of money on gifts for people who already have all we need. This is all based upon traditions that have been passed down through the centuries mostly among Europeans – traditions that have been based upon the actions of a certain "saint" named Nicholaus.

        This brings us to the concept of giving. I hear the world and Christians say that the Christmas season is the season of giving – as if the rest of the calendar year is the season for hoarding and stinginess. As Christians, we should be growing in a habit of continual giving, helping to alleviate the suffering of the poor throughout the entire year. Hunger doesn't wait one day, let alone 11 months.

        Many people will argue that St. Nicholaus gave because of his underlying faith in the fact that God gave his Son to the world to provide the possibility of reconciliation between God and man. That obviously is the greatest gift of all if we choose to take it and live our lives based upon it. For some strange reason, however, we have segmented the birth of Jesus, and have only allowed its story to penetrate our lives for the month of December, relegating it to repetitive yearly displays of the same old thing. There are fantastic songs related to the birth of Jesus, which should be sung year-round. After all, we don't limit any other type of song to a certain month. We talk about the rest of the Bible at any other time, but leave the incarnation of Jesus only for December. Go figure!

        This is my opinion, and I am convinced that it is right for me, as the above scripture states. I am not denigrating anyone else's beliefs about how they do or do not "celebrate" the Christmas season. Each one of us lives in relationship to God, and should worship him as we see fit, whether it is on a day or season that we hold dear, or if it is a day like any other. 

       Read the rest of Romans chapter 14 for a complete view of the main verse. Colossians 2:16, 17 are also related verses.

 

December 6 – Mourning Over Sin

        2 Peter 2:7, 8 – "....Lot, a righteous man, was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)...."

        We get a sense of Lot's predicament from reading Genesis 18, but we don't get the impactful statement above, until the Apostle Peter spells it out. In 2016, the Western world has grown to resemble Sodom and Gomorrah more and more. Even more so, society keeps drifting further from God as it doesn't take sin seriously any more, except in a few aspects. We, as children of God, should know better, however. If we have been saved out of our sinful states that were preventing us from drawing near to God, then we should constantly be growing to hate sin in our own lives, as well as grieve over the blindly sinful lives of the people around us.

        It is interesting to note that the righteous in Jerusalem who were sealed in the days of exiled Israel in Ezekiel 9:4 were those who "grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." Since the nation of Israel was a foreshadowing of the body of Christ, the direct correlation, then is to sinfulness within the church, the body. Also, from the hard-hitting book of James in chapter 4:8-10 , we are instructed to "come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Master, and he will lift you in due time."

        Wow!  It's time again, for me to examine myself, to see if my heart and attitudes align with God's desires above. May God change my heart to be broken for the sinful behavior in my life and in the lives of those around me who are blind.