By Bob Beetler
Well, the merchants are out in full force seeking to coax people to spend money they don't have for things they don't need. But, what does it all have to do with the birth of Christ? Where does He fit in? Of course, He doesn't. That is why they crucified Him. But He is God manifested in the flesh (I Tim. 3:16). May I encourage you to take some time to read and ponder the first two chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke? Do you think it is just a myth? Our calendar dates from the birth of Christ doesn't it? (B.C. & A.D.).
Is the virgin birth too much for you to swallow? The angel solved the problem for Mary. "With God nothing shall be impossible." (He is bigger than your problems.) What was Mary's response? "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy Word" (Lk.1:38). Mary was a godly person, a virtuous woman. She would now be misunderstood and misrepresented. How the gossip would fly! Ridicule, and scorn would be her lot. Her former friends might now refuse to speak. Knowing all of this, she had a sweet submissiveness to the will of God. What an example for all who would choose to follow Christ, Who Himself was "despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief..."
Did you notice that when God chooses to announce the coming of Christ, the King of Kings, He bypasses the "big shots," and announces it to humble shepherds caring for their flocks. Yes, God chooses and uses those who are, in the eyes of the world, the foolish, the weak, the base, the despised and the nothings to bring to nothing the things that are, "that no flesh should glory in His presence" (I Cor.1:27-29).
Some think that if you are in the will of God you won't have problems. Well, a government decree forced Joseph and Mary to make a 70-mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem when she was "great with child." And there were no automobiles, buses, trains or airplanes. Very likely they walked. Then, what if the inn is full? Well, there was a smelly stable available. Would we be submissive to God if it involved such hardships? Christians in some countries are facing prison, torture and death for the sake of Christ. But they, like Moses, choose to "suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." Here's food for thought. If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Herod, the king, heard about the birth of the King of the Jews, and felt threatened. Like many today, he faked an interest in worshipping Him, but in his heart he was still in rebellion against Him. The end result was that he murdered all of the children 2 years old and under who were in and around Bethlehem. Aren't we just as wicked, murdering over a million infants a year in the abortion mill? Do you think America will escape the judgment of God for shedding the blood of the innocents? We, as a nation, are defying God. And, like the blood of Abel, it cries out to God. We have expunged sin from our vocabulary, and substituted our own standards, so we can sin with impunity. We seem to be repeating the tragedy in Jeremiah's day, which ended in devastating judgment at the hands of a heathen nation. The prophet writes, "...every one from the least to the greatest is given to covetousness." "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, neither could they blush." But in His amazing grace, "God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He is the refuge for sinners. True believers are described in the book of Hebrews as those "who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul..." To all who have fled to Christ, He says, "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." This Christmas you can have the perfect gift. " For by grace are you saved through faith...it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast." (Eph.2:8,9)
Bob Beetler is a resident of Battle Mountain.
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