|
GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #361 December 23, 2001 Christmas Division
One of the greatest strengths and at the same time the biggest weakness within the Christian church is the diversity of the body. People are involved in a wide range of practices, and Christmas is ironically one of those areas where those differences can become divisive. There are Christians who refuse to celebrate Christmas, because they believe it is unbiblical. Other Christians can’t imagine not celebrating Christmas. Still others feel that Christmas is for Christians only and non-believers shouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the holiday because they don’t know Christ. Whatever side of the issue people fall on, it is seldom handled with love. Opinions and emotions run high and attacks between the different camps can become quite vicious. This is a situation where then old church motto "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty and in all things love (or charity)" comes into play. If you have strong convictions on the issue, stick with them, but understand that others may not hold them. If I celebrate and you don’t, it doesn’t mean I love Jesus any less than you, or any more than you. The same applies if I don’t worry about non-Christians celebrating but you do. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans: Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "As surely as I live,' says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. Romans 14:1-13 NIV Stick to your convictions; honour God; and love one another, especially the people who are not of the faith (who need our love most of all). Until next time, whatever your beliefs about the meaning of Christmas, may He truly be the center of your everyday life, not just celebrated one day a year. God bless. Kevin Do you have a personal relationship with the Jesus whose birth is celebrated at Christmas? The same Jesus who loves you more than you will ever know and who gave His life for you. If not, email me and I’ll share a few Bible verses that explain why it is important to have that relationship and a prayer that will make it possible. To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@hotmail.com. At Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential. If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page on our website
 © 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin All Rights Reserved SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS FOR FREE
|
||||
