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My Two Cents
by Rev Chuck Behrens
December, 2015
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Past Articles |
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MY TRUEST CHRISTMAS
CONFESSION: I am really glad that my kids aren't little anymore. When they
were, the day before Christmas always meant assembling some "easy to
assemble" toy. I hate those words! It wasn't easy to assemble. Oh, and the
day after, oh that's nice. It usually meant fixing what was not easy to
assemble in the first place. It seems like the day after Christmas there
was always something was broken. Actually, there's some fixing that needs
to happen before Christmas.
I...the World needs Luke 2:13-14: "Suddenly a great company of the
heavenly host ap-peared with the angels praising God and saying, 'Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'"
Do you see what the result of Jesus' coming was supposed to be? There's a
celebration in heaven announcing that there will be peace on earth.
So, let's take a look at our relationships. Is there a relationship where
the word "peace" does not apply this Christmas? You thinking of anybody? A
broken relationship or break-ing relationship? Maybe there's someone who
has hurt you or you've hurt, someone who's left you, betrayed you, or
turned on you? It could be a person who has talked about you or
disappointed you. Or maybe there's a relationship where you were the
hurter and they're feeling alienated by you.
Christmas is coming. And in this dark corner of your life right now
there's no peace in that part of earth for you. Wouldn't this be a good
time to fix what's broken? I mean, it will never get smaller than it is
now. It will never be easier to fix than it is now. It's only going to get
worse. Right now, this is the season when hearts are soft, when people's
guard is down. If you're ever going to be able to put it together, this
will be it. Would you take the healing initiative; the peace initiative?
Write that letter if that's what it takes to ask for the walls to come
down. Make that phone call to that person. Send them an appreciation gift
and attach your bridge-building note to it.
Admit the mistakes if there have been any mistakes on your part. Would you
be willing to admit them? Do it now. Go for that new beginning and say,
"Let's start a new volume in our relationship; end of Volume 1; page 1 of
Volume 2." Here's the alternative in Hebrews 12:15, "See to it that no one
misses the grace of God." How does that happen? Well, "If any bitter root
grows up among you, it will cause trouble and defile many." And that
bitter root might be growing inside of you right now, and it's causing
trouble. It's going to affect other people, and you will miss the grace of
God because God's grace and your bitterness can-not co-exist in the same
heart.
Listen! Start this battle for forgiving on your knees, for healing. You
find that on your knees, and then you deal with any of it that is your
fault. And then look for the needs be-hind the deeds of that person who
has hurt you. They probably hurt you because they've been hurt; HURT
PEOPLE, HURT PEOPLE. Look at them as a bleeding person, not just as
someone who caused you to bleed.
And then go to the place where you can find forgiveness, and that is the
cross of Jesus Christ, where the great forgiver forgave you. The Bible
says in Colossians 3:13, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." They may or
may not respond, but you do what's right.
Very possibly this could be the beginning of a new and better chapter in
your life this Christmas season. Especially if you've come to the
awareness that you have never experi-enced for yourself the forgiveness
that Jesus came to give you; to establish a peace rela-tionship between
you and the God you're now separated from. Because He died to pay for
every wrong thing we've ever done. When He said, "Father, forgive them" on
that cross, He was forgiving you. Have you ever gone to your knees and
said, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I can't think of a better time than the
Christmas season, when He came for us. It just might be the one thing
needed for dreaming of A RIGHT CHRISTMAS!
See you in Church,
Rev. Chuck
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