Is it a coincidence that much of American life becomes excessively pre-occupied with self-indulgence and worldly distractions between Thanksgiving and Christmas, two of the three annual Christian holidays? The Christmas season reveals the clash of Christian and secular culture which exists largely unnoticed throughout the rest of the year. The spiritual battle waged between secular commercialism and true Christianity becomes a spectacle of immense proportion.
The only two things Satan dislikes more than observing the Christian world celebrate the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Easter) is when Christians gather to worship God in thankfulness, and to exalt the incarnation of His Son. Sadly, Satan has largely succeeded in creating a mockery of Thanksgiving and Christmas through the encouragement of self-indulgent customs and traditions having little to do with the reasons for both celebrations.
What can we do about it? We can begin by consecrating our lives (physically and spiritually) for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14). For the next 30 days, we can be content to merely observe the temporal seduction of the world, or be a bright beacon for those seeking, or at least wondering about, the Truth of the season. Will we be salt and light, especially during a season when many may be looking for it?
Onward Christian soldiers!You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it e made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew
5:13-16
Bob Benson
***********************************************
from My Utmost For His Highest. . .
November 27
The Consecration of Spiritual Power
. . . by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world —Galatians 6:14
The Consecration of Spiritual Power
. . . by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world —Galatians 6:14
If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.
It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" ( John 17:15 ). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16 ).
We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, "Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?"
Amen!
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24
