December
17, 2002
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Stephen Pape
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Email: Email Me. |
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Merry Christmas!
Why should a statement like Merry Christmas offend someone? Why are Christmas parties and traditions being renamed “holiday parties” in businesses and organizations across this country? Has Christmas been a lie in the past? Is it no longer a special day to be remembered? Are times different? If so, who has changed: God?, or Man? Don’t get me wrong. I, like
everyone else, have friends and do business with Muslims, Jews, and Agnostics,
as well as those that practice other religions like watching or participating
in Football, Basketball, Fishing, Hunting, Golfing, Shopping or their
Job. You name the single most
important thing in your life and that is your religion. I know that people place different levels
of significance on Christmas but what I say is a reflection of the
significance that I place on Christmas. I don’t want to offend any of my
friends. I care about their
feelings. But I also care about their
future. God clearly requires that man be righteous to interact with Him. A sinner is unworthy of God’s attention and is doomed to eternal separation from Him including missing out on all the reasoning and not being able to live with the order that God provides. Feature a life of no absolutes. It is okay to steal means someone can take your possessions with impunity. It is okay to kill means your life has no value. It is okay to commit adultery means the closest most intimate relationship you work toward is gone for good the very second any whiff of concern or affection is felt toward another individual. It is okay to covet means it is okay to live a life of jealousy and envy and it’s acceptable for everyone to wish each other ill will. As you can see, a world without the influence of God is not going to be a desirable place to live. In places, God’s influence is already barely felt today. As a result, all of mankind that is really honest with ourselves will admit our desire to be just righteous enough so that we can obtain a status that allows us to live under the benefits of God’s influence. We want to be around God and we want to live within His realm of influence for eternity. The only problem is, we simply cannot obtain the status of righteousness that God requires. It cannot be done. Righteousness requires us to have only clean thoughts, to never say unkind things, to always tell the truth, to live a life without sin from birth to death. This is simply impossible without divine intervention. Death was our fate. We were all doomed until the day that we celebrate called Christmas Day. My Muslim friends pray several times a day, they refrain from harmful foods and habits, they try to get to Mecca. They strive to live a life worthy of being called righteous. But they are not good enough. They are not assured that their efforts will succeed. But Christmas brings good news that could make their life much more enjoyable and could give them the assurance they strive so hard to obtain. Is it kind of us to remain silent about Christmas? My friends that celebrate and worship sports, or other “religions are just as doomed. If the Mavericks win, they are happy. If the Cowboys loose, they are sad. One day they will wake up and their children will be grown and just as lost as mom and dad. A few years later, they will wake up and their health will be gone and life will be nearly gone. Will the games this weekend have so much significance at that time? Why do we have so much of a problem with drugs, alcohol, sexual diseases, infertility, theft, senseless and wanton murder? Could our lack of effort to be righteous be catching up to us. I certainly think so. Many are heading down a path of heartache, sickness, loneliness, and eternal separation from God. Is it kind of us to remain silent about Christmas? Christmas brings us good news. You may not have grasped the significance in the past so I’ll share it again. God knows we are not able to be righteous. When man was created, God established death as the punishment for any lack of righteousness. Everyone that is not Righteous or perfect throughout life is lacking and will die. However, God proved he really wants our company by transferring our punishment onto Himself. Christmas is a celebration of God sending a Son, a part of Him, into the world to live a perfectly righteous life. A life with no Sin. A life with no lying, no filthy thoughts, no coveting, no murder, a full life that honored elders at all times, a life that placed worship and communing with God as top priority. No other man has ever been born or will ever be born. And please understand. This perfect and righteous man named Jesus willingly suffered and allowed himself to be killed on behalf of those of us that are unrighteous. He suffered our fate. Is it kind of us to remain silent about Christmas? Then, being God, Jesus conquered death and made it possible for those accepting His sacrifice as their own to be declared Righteous by God. The lies, the thoughts, the actions, everything unrighteous can be placed on Jesus. We are guaranteed that accepting Jesus as our Savior is all that is required of us. So what is your religion? What are you going to worship on December 25th? I hope you accept what is free rather than continue to go after something that you will never be able to afford on your own. In answer to one of the first questions, God has not changed over the years, but we have. But the good news is that we are still alive and can move back towards Him. Simply pray that you want to accept Jesus as your substitute, as your Savior. God is just as faithful and just as loving as he was for our parents and their grandparents. Knowing this, is it kind of us to remain silent about Christmas? No! So to all of my friends, and all of my business associates, and to everyone reading these words: Merry Christmas to
you all! from Stephen and
Becky Pape and family.
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If you want to have a good neighbor you must be a good neighbor.
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