An Unexpected Story: Christmas

     I enjoy stories. I like, reading them writing them, and hearing them from others. Nowadays many stories, whether they be movies or books, have become predictable. However, there is one story in the history of the world that had a plot twist so unexpected that no one saw it coming: the story of Christmas.

   Many times, stories this unexpected are untrue. But not only is the Christmas story true, it is the beginning of the most important story in history. Think about it: if you were God, which you are not but hypothetically, how would you save those you created?

   Maybe you would come down and declare yourself ruler over all that way you could fix human's mistakes. Or you could come down with the sword of justice and destroy all who oppressed your people. You could have just left them alone to figure out on their own how to save themselves. After all, they did betray you and choose to sin. Perhaps you could just end them all and start again? Would that be the answer?

   Whatever you think you would do if you were in God's shoes, I am pretty sure you would not have done what God did. He sent his Son to become one of us. Jesus went through everything we went through. He chose not to sin. He followed his father's word. And he showed us his father's love. Then, he chose to die on the cross for us. He became the perfect sacrifice so we could spend eternity with him.

   See, if God would have come down and declared himself ruler, we would not have free will and thus there would be no love. If God would have come down to destroy those who oppressed his people, then he would have killed those he loved. And only the Israelites, who also did not always follow God, would be alive today. If God would have left us alone, we would be dead and have no hope. And, obviously, if God would have ended us all then it would have broken his heart because he loves us.

   That's what the Christmas and Easter stories are about: love. God sent his son in a unique way to save us because he loves us. Anyone else may have tried to fix the world through force which is not love. And God is love. 

   So, this Christmas I encourage you to think about the Christmas story. Think about how special it is. Think about how God sent his son FOR YOU. He did it because he loves you. He wants to be with you forever and he gave up his Son so he could be with you. It is an unexpected and amazing story, isn't it?

Are You a Victim or a Victor?

   Have you ever met a person who seems to complain about everything? I am talking about a person who could've won a new car but instead of being thankful all he thinks about is the gas and insurance he has to pay for. Okay so maybe not that extreme but you get what I'm saying.
   I have seen this on the soccer field, and I'm sure you have as well if you've ever played a sport. In soccer we typically played each team twice. If we lost badly to a team we knew we would get another chance to play them. The problem was if a team crushed us, swore at us, or hurt many of us we looked back at that first game and thought "there is no way we can beat them."
   We were thinking like victims instead of victors. Victims look back at what happened to them. Victors look ahead at what they are going to do.
   It is a mental choice to decide if you want to be a victim or a victor. As I grew I began to realize that I decided what my attitude was. I could look back at how bad we played and say "we are going to get crushed again." Or, I could say "it doesn't matter how we played last time. We can do better this time."
   The time in between games was a time of growth. Our team always grew, we just had to decide if we would push past what happened last time or not.
   It is the same way with life. You decide if you will look back at what happened to you and sulk or maybe not even try. You also decide if you will press on, grow, and keep trying no matter what.
   I don't know about you, but I would want to be a victor rather than a victim. But, that means we must be prepared. We need to be in the word and spend time with God. That way, when situations come up, we are ready for victory.
   So, will you choose to look back at what happened to you or will you look ahead to the victories? Will you be prepared for challenges that come your way?

   1 Corinthians 9:24 and Hebrews 12:1

The Epic Battles Going on Around Us

   Picture this: there is a man named Al in an elevator waiting to reach the ground floor. What he doesn't know is that up above him there is an epic battle going on. Buzz Lightyear is facing off against his father, Zurg. Buzz aims his laser gun at Zurg and misses. Zurg takes a shot back at Buzz, but Buzz does a kick flip to miss the shot. Finally Zurg gets Buzz to fall on his back. Zurg tells Buzz to give up. Buzz says, "I'll never give up you killed my father." Zurg replies "No, Buzz, I am your father." Buzz cries out, "Noooooo!" Thus ends the epic battle (Toy Story 2).
   What I find interesting about that story is that Al did not know that this epic battle was going on above him. You may laugh at that but let me give you another story.
   You and a friend are walking down the street. You have known this friend for a long time and you know that he/she is not a Christian. You have been trying to help this friend out because you know that he/she has gone through some hard times. Suddenly your friend tells you that he/she does not know why life is worth living. Stunned, you are not sure what to say.
   What you don't know is that above you there is an epic battle going on. An angel is locked in battle with a demon. The demon is so close to getting to your friend but the angel swoops in and blocks the demon's blow with a sword. They continue to battle against one another. Suddenly another angel and demon appear above you. Then more angels and demons come locked in heated battle. There are epic battles going on all around you.
   Many times we talk a lot about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Devil; but we don't talk a lot about the angels and demons. If we believe in the Trinity and Satan then we need to believe in the angels and demons as well. Biblically we see both angels and demons. We know that that Bible is true therefore we must believe in both.
   Am I saying that each of us have a guardian angel? No that cannot be proven biblically. But do we have angels looking out for us? One only has to look at Hebrews 1:14 to find the answer: "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" We may not have a guardian angel but we definitely have angels looking out for us. This should bring us comfort because we know that no matter what happens God is looking out for us and he has a plan. We just need to trust him.
   So, do you believe there are epic battles going on around you even if you cannot see them? Do you believe that God has a plan for your life? Will you trust him no matter what happens? 

   Hebrews 1:14, 2 Corinthians 12:4, Ephesians 6:11

Complaining when we are Blessed

   We are all blessed. We have homes, food, electricity, families, friends, etc. Oh! And let's not forget that we also have war, terrorists, abortions, and so many other problems in the world. At this point you are probably wondering where I am going with this but stay with me.
   Why aren't we happy when we have all of these things put together? That's right, because we have a lot of bad stuff. See, humans have a problem. We have a problem because we tend to look at the negative side rather than the positive side of things. We find one little thing that is wrong in something or someone and we complain about that, rather than look at all of the good things.
   Let me give you an example. Picture two friends walking down the street. We will call them Joe and Moe. Joe looks around and sees a child playing with a puppy. Joe says: "aw, isn't that so cute. The child gets to play with a puppy." Moe looks at the child and puppy and says: "where are the child's parents? I cannot believe someone would be so irresponsible and let their child run around on her own!"
   The two continue to walk down the street and they see a man give money to a homeless man who is sitting at the corner. Joe says: "How nice is it that people are willing to give up what they have to give to others." Moe says: "more than likely the homeless man is just going to use the money to buy alcohol."
   The men turn a corner and Joe looks up, "it is so great that we get nice weather to walk and talk together." Moe looks up, "there's a few clouds up there. It will probably rain soon and our day will be ruined."
   Which person would you rather spend your time with? Now, I'm not saying that we have to be like Snow White and be a ray of sunshine all the time. We do need to be realistic at times whenever a friend is having a problem or if we are having a problem. But, we should not be looking for the negative in everything and everyone. God has given us so much. Isn't it time we focus on what he has given us rather than what is wrong with what we have, or what is wrong in the world?
   So, do you look for the downfalls in everything and everyone? What can you do in order to look for the good? Will you be thankful for whatever you have?
   Ephesians 4:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, James 5:9