Someone
has said, "you can tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and
he will believe you. But it you tell him the bench has just been painted, he has
to touch it to be sure!
The very core to the Christian faith is in the birth, sinless
life, substitutionary death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All of the characters
found in the "Christmas Story" were called on to believe something they could
not see. The Wise Men set out from hundreds of miles away by faith to see the
One "born King of the Jews." Shepherds left their flocks to go see a child declared
to them by an angel. Herod and the Jewish leaders denied their call to faith and
remained in Jerusalem rather than go to Bethlehem to see the Christ.
Joseph was told to marry a girl many thought was immoral. Zechariah,
Elizabeth's husband, didn't believe at first when the angel told him they would
have a son. He spent most of a year unable to speak because of that lack of faith.
Mary responded in faith when the angel told here she would carry the Son of God
as her child.
How do you respond to Christmas? If it is nothing more than
a warm feeling and a happy time for you, you are missing the point. God sent His
Son as a choice for you to decide to accept Him or reject Him. Which will it be
this Christmas? By faith accept Him or reject Him.
All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise
noted.
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Faith and Christmas
