This will be the last in this series and I hope you have been blessed and challenged by the subject matter. I would love to hear your feedback on what you got out of the topic. If you have a unique story of a dark time in your life when God seemed silent yet the Lord taught you a valuable truth or lesson I would love to hear about it.
A common problem for many Christians is that they base their beliefs on superstition and legend rather than on scripture. Most will say they have a biblical foundation for their faith, but when questioned with deeper issues beyond simple concepts like John 3:16 they often are lost and can’t explain what they believe nor why. It is my experience that when we can’t explain what and why we believe, we often don’t really believe it. what we say we do. Somehow we have relied on sermons or Christian books rather than digging into the scriptures to discover what is really true and what is just religion or good ideas.
The last article on “Are We Running From God’s Purpose?” used the book of Jonah. I used the text and story of Jonah to start partly because it’s a famous book that most people have heard in Sunday School or from a sermon. I wanted to show how Jesus would try to expose people’s excuses for not living for God when they called themselves God’s people. If you haven’t read part one on this topic, start there.
I have been amazed at how the “Testimony” of some people seems to be all that is needed to convince a group of people of some declared “Truth” with no or little evidence. I think we used to be more objective in our beliefs and persuasion but now we seem to be captivated by any strange idea or accusation. Maybe it’s because we are so used to “Instant” information with our technology that we no longer have the time or patience to “Verify” before we develop an opinion.
My blog is focused on the human soul so I look for topics to write about that hopefully will cause readers to evaluate their lives based on scripture rather than on the latest trend or what is often taught in schools. Human logic is so twisted because we refuse to consider God’s thoughts or ways. Human logic often is less than honest again because of a lack of information from scripture. Even among Christian believers, scripture is often the last place people turn to acquire facts or wisdom. Instead, especially among the young, reasoning is now more about how we feel. If we feel someone is a racist, well they must be. This circular logic reinforces the pathway to a total breakdown in the human soul. The worst part is that it happens while the person or persons think they are headed in the right direction.
As Christmas 2018 is coming soon I wanted everyone to reflect on the magnitude of Gods’ love. It seems an obvious thing to do on Christmas Day, yet I fear so many will be enjoying their kids, relatives and loved ones that Jesus can actually fade into the background. Now I don’t consider myself a religious person but I do consider myself a spiritual person. I tend to look at life through the lens of spiritual meaning and that always leads back to Jesus and the Father’s great love for us as stated in the book of John.
During the Christmas season many stores, as well as individuals, burn candles that have amazing fragrances. These fragrances warm the heart of the people experiencing them and actually provide an “Attitude Adjustment” that’s healthy for body, soul and spirit. It’s a scientific fact that smells can change people’s mode and disposition without the person actually realizing it. The question is do we take advantage of this fact and use the affect of fragrances during our interaction with people during the holiday season?
In the first Article on “Smelling Like Jesus” I talked about how “Fragrances” warms the heart of those who experience them, like walking into a store that has candles burning. That simple thing of a fragrance or a candle can and often does create an “Attitude Adjustment” in us. If people are grumpy from shopping or just the business of life during Christmas the stores that utilize fragrance have an advantage with their customers. I spoke about how Satan is very active during the Christmas season to get people so stressed out that they won’t see Jesus and the redemption story. In fact, Satan’s objective is to “Short Circuit” the spirit of Christmas and the hope God intends for humanity. The Holy Spirit wants to use the body of Christ to shine the light of Christ and the hope that the good news brings. If you haven’t read the first article please do so to get the full background before reading this portion.
This is the fifth article in the series “Christmas Time” and it will be the final one on this topic. I suspect some readers are asking the question, “When Is He Going To Write On Something Else?” One reason I have done five articles is because I suspect many will still not share Christ this Christmas season. It is my hope that by approaching the subject enough times in print that it will motivate those whose hearts tend toward God and their fellow-man. If I can motivate just one person to realize they have the words of “Eternal Life” in them then maybe they will open their minds enough to open their mouths for Jesus.
This is now the fourth article on Christmas and I want to move from the negative things that keep us quiet to the positive things that result in an expectation that God will use them in ways they may have not experienced as of yet. God is constantly on the lookout for believers that will “Believe” that He is able to do “Extraordinarily More” than we can ask for when it comes to touching the world for Christ. If you haven’t read the first three articles please do so first so that you are able to track my thoughts throughout this topic. These articles are all starting with “Christmas Time”.
