Christmas Reflections
Transformed by beholding
“But we all, with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”1
I have a little personal
conviction that no one can have a really ugly countenance who constantly
beholds the face of Jesus; that is, abides in His presence and meditates on His
Word. It said, you remember, the prophet of old [Moses], that as he prayed, his
countenance was altered.2
Living in the presence
of God and fellowshipping daily with the Lord Jesus will transform the heart
and soul. But somehow meditation has become a lost art in the mad rush of this
generation. This mad rush is accelerated now at the height of the Christmas
season; that is, the shopping season. Some will never stop to enjoy anything of
life until after Christmas, and then they will fall into bed, sighing, “Well,
I’m glad that’s all over.” What a pity! Why don’t we stop and enjoy Christmas
just once—really enjoy what it means. Enjoy the beauty; just stop trying to do
so much.
There are so many
wonderful things about this season and so many beautiful things to see. It’s a
shame to miss it all just to meet some people’s expectations or try to keep up
with the Joneses, and wrapping this and wrapping that and rushing for this last
thing and that, and trying to cook up so many things. We miss the Lord Himself
in our feverish rush.
Psalm 16 says, “I have
set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be
moved.”3 He’s
near. He is at our right hand. He is within speaking distance. But we will
never see Him when we are too busy to notice Him there, and in the mad rush of
the Christmas shopping we don’t even notice He’s there.
We’ll not hear the voice
of the Lord, for that’s heard only in quiet waiting on Him in a holy hush, when
you can have the time to disentangle His voice from the many voices about you.
It is a very still, small voice and isn’t often heard on the run. There is an
old saying that “the dew never falls on a stormy night.” So the sweetness of
Christ’s presence is rarely found by nervous souls in the feverish rush. But
the dew of heaven and the choicest blessings fall on that soul that gets quiet
and waits for His presence.
I think He may stand
today in our busy shopping centers with arms outstretched, saying, “Be still
and know that I am God.”4 I
was once standing in the doorway of the May Company in Los Angeles enjoying the
lovely manger scene in the next window, when a mother and her little girl came
hurrying by. The child saw the beauty of the scene, and grasping her mother’s
skirt she cried, “Mama, mama, please let me stop just a minute and look at
Jesus!” But the mother with some harsh tone reminded her she wasn’t half
through with her shopping list and was in too big a hurry to stop.
Those words rang in my
ears for a long time after that: “Let me stop a minute and look at Jesus.”—Waiting
in His presence, waiting in stillness, waiting in quiet worship. Listening and
learning until we become more like Him—transformed by beholding.
Life will always be a
long round of rush and activity and feverishness without a personal
relationship with the majestic Christ. He alone can bring that peace and rest
and quiet to the heart if you’ll only stop and let Him. He says, “I am come
that ye might have life, and have it more abundantly.”5 Romans
5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ.” All this you’ll miss if you are too busy to give Him a
chance at your heart.
There is an abundant
life for you if by faith you accept Him as your Lord and Savior. To live
without Him is forfeiting the only real and lasting joy there is in this old
world, and that seals your destiny for time, and eternity too. Accept Him as
your Savior—it will be a wonderful Christmas for you. Trust Him with your life
and He will transform it and completely change it, and give you life eternal.
*
Finding the “warm and fuzzy” of Christmas
I understand what you’re
up against during the Christmas season. You’re faced with a period of extra busyness.
And amid all of this you’re feeling dry, and you’re wondering where the
“Christmas spirit” has gone and run off to.
You think of movies like White Christmas, or of Christmas
stories with portrayals of Christmas days filled with the “warm and fuzzies”
that seem to be an integral part of the Christmas season. But right now you
feel zero warmth and fuzziness. You wish you had it, because you don’t want to
feel draggy during this time of year that is supposed to be a celebration of
joy.
You’re trying so hard to
look for Christmas in the things that surround you. Perhaps you look for it in
the blinking lights, storefront decorations, Christmas carols, eggnog, and
whatnot, and then if any of those things are missing, or if they don’t strike
the right note in your heart, you feel like this really can’t be what Christmas
is about. You’re right, because you’re looking for the spirit of Christmas in
the wrong places!
It won’t be found in
glittery décor, or in a flurry of Christmas shows, events, or activities. If
you’re looking for Christmas spirit, look no further than your own spirit,
because as My child, as one who is saved and who knows Me, you are a carrier, a
messenger, an ambassador of Christmas spirit. Instead of looking outward for
Christmas spirit, look inward, because the spirit of Christmas is in you—it’s Me in you!
This is where it starts.
More than decorating a tree or the house, if you adorn your spirit with joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance,
people will be drawn to you as they would be to the best, most brightly lit
Christmas tree they’ve ever seen. They’ll recognize in you true Christmas joy,
the real reason for the season. And the fuzziness of
Christmas will come with the joy of sharing My love with others.—Jesus, speaking in
prophecy
*
Christmas Peace
These are days of
uncertainty for many, of fear and concern for the future. There is a need for
peace—peace on earth, as well as peace of heart, mind, and spirit for the
individual.
At this time of year, we
celebrate the birth of Jesus, the one known as the Prince of Peace. His life,
His message, the example He set for humankind bring peace to the hearts of
those who understand the importance of His life, who recognize that His death
on the cross and His resurrection made it possible for every individual to have
inner peace, both in this life and for eternity.
Faith in Jesus may not
make the world any less tumultuous or unsettling, but it can bring peace and
security to your spirit to empower you to meet the challenges of life. The
assurance of His love and care, His promise of life eternal, can bring
certainty even in uncertain times
1 2 Corinthians
3:18.
2 Exodus 34:29–35.
3 Psalm 16:8.
4 Psalm 46.10.
5 John 10:10.