Celebrate Jesus: The Reason for the Season

 

 Celebrate Jesus: The Reason for the Season

     The Christmas season is truly one of "the most wonderful times of the year." So much goes on during the Christmas season. It is one of the most enjoyable but busy times of the year. Retail stores are packed with people beginning Black Friday and ending around the New year. People are rushing to finish up deadlines before the Christmas vacations. Students are trying to get all their work done before Christmas break so that they do not have homework during their two weeks of no school. Churches are busy practicing for Christmas cantatas and Christmas musicals. Townspeople are busy finding the perfect Christmas tree to put in their living room. People are busy decorating their houses with lights and reindeer and snowmen and so many other items. Wives, moms and grandmas are busy pulling out all their recipies for homemade breads, pies, cakes, and cookies. Christmas is such a great time of the year. I love every part of it from the shopping to the cooking to visiting of family to singing of Christmas carols to the decorating of the house. I Love It all!!!!!!!

     Although Christmas is one of the funnest and most enjoyable times of the year, the sad part is that Someone gets left out so often in all the Christmas planning. What makes it even more sad is that the Person Who gets left out if the Person Whom the holiday is all about. This Person I speak of is Jesus Christ. Christmas is not about all the shopping, decorating, cooking, vacationing, visiting. Christmas is about a Person and that Person is Jesus Christ. We celebrate His birth on Christmas. Nobody enjoys having his birthday come around and having nobody take the time to say "Happy Birthday" or at least recognize him in some one. I believe that Jesus is no different. Jesus is the REASON for the SEASON!!!!! Since Jesus is what Christmas is all about, how can we take the time to show Him that He truly is the reason for the season?

1. Take time to thank Jesus for being born that Christmas morning

If Jesus never came to earth, there would be no Christmas. If He never came, there would never be a Calvary and we would not enjoy the blessing of salvation. Thank Him for coming. Because He came, lived, died, and rose again, salvation was made possible.

2. Take time to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas day

We all enjoy having people sing Happy Birthday to us on our birthday. Take time to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus because we are celebrating His birth after all

3. Take time to make Jesus a cake or a pie for His birthday

I love cake, especially birthday cakes. This is just another was to make Jesus' birthday special.

4. Take time to visit Jesus' house this Christmas season

There is no better time to attend church than during the Christmas season. I believe a Christian should attend church whenever the doors are open; I believe even more strongly that the Christmas season should be a time to fully get plugged into church and its ministries. Take time to get to God's house on His birthday. (You enjoy it when people come to your house on your birthday)

5. Tell other people Merry Christmas

We are living in a society that is trying to remove Christ and God from about everything. I am sick and tired of hearing "Season's Greeting" and "Happy Holidays." Stop trying to be politically correct and just say MERRY CHRISTMAS! (AMEN)

6. Read the Christmas story prior to opening Christmas gifts

Jesus comes before presents. Take time to read the story of how Christ was born prior to opening gifts. It is just a way to show Jesus that He is first.

7. Have a part in the Christmas offering at your church

This is often called a "Christmas gift to Jesus" offering at many churches. We all spend money to get gifts for one another. This Christmas, set aside some money to give Jesus a Christmas gift.

8. Decorate your house with some type of manger scene

9. Live as a Christian should this Christmas season

There is no better gift you can give Jesus this Christmas than living like a Christian. This Christmas, let the world see Jesus in you.

Some Things Your Youth Pastor Will Never Tell You

When I became a youth pastor, I realized that there were some things that I could not tell my young people. I am sure that some of them figured out what some of these things were, but I am sure that the average young person in my youth group had no idea. When I was a teen, I had an excellent youth pastor, and I believe I had an excellent relationship with him. However, there were some things that I never realized until I became a youth pastor.
By sharing these items with you, it is my goal to help you understand your pastor/youth pastor better and love and appreciate him even more than you already do.

1. Your youth pastor will never tell you how much he loves you.
   I am sure that your youth pastor makes statements like this to the youth group: “My wife and I love you and appreciate you.” That really doesn’t sum it up. You would have to know a youth pastor’s heart to know how excited he is for you when you make a good decision, graduate from high school, go to Bible college, get married, etc. On the flip side, you would also have to know how crushed your youth pastor is when you get away from God, when you make a poor decision, or when you ruin your life.
2. Your youth pastor will never tell you how much he depends on you.
   When you let down your youth pastor, he probably doesn’t yell and scream and tell you how miserable you are. He probably doesn’t quit the youth ministry and go on strike. The truth is that your youth pastor does count on you more than you know. He counts on you to show up, to get involved, to be a good example to the other teens, and to help him in helping others. Your youth pastor depends on you to be faithful to Sunday school, church, soul winning, youth activities, teen camp, youth conference, and other youth events.
3. Your youth pastor will never tell you how much he watches you.
   You would be shocked to find out how much your youth pastor actually sees. He sees when you smile, when you roll your eyes, when you fall asleep in class, when you sing, when you talk in Sunday school, when you text. Your youth pastor watches you during activities, at camp, at restaurants, at work days, and just about everywhere you go. Why does your youth pastor watch you so closely? He wants to know how you are doing spiritually. By watching your life, your youth pastor will have a good idea of how you are doing.
4. Your youth pastor will never tell you how much he knows about you.
   How is this different from the last item? Not only does your youth pastor watch you, but he listens to you and your friends. He talks to your parents, teachers, coaches and friends to find out how you are doing. Isn’t this snooping? No, this is being concerned for the young people that God has entrusted to his care.
5. Your youth pastor will never tell you how much you encourage him.
   Believe it or not, you encourage your youth pastor. You may not be the most outgoing, the most athletic or the most talented, but you can still encourage your youth pastor. “Well, why won’t my youth pastor tell me how much I encourage him?” The answer is simple. He will try, but he will never be able to adequately express how much you encourage him and how much he appreciates you.
6. Your youth pastor will never tell you how much he prays for you.
   Of course, all youth pastors pray for their young people and all youth pastors tell their teens that they are praying for them. No youth pastor is going to tell you how much he prays for you. It would sound boastful to go to each young person and say, “I prayed for you specifically for 30 minutes last week.” I do not know how much time your youth pastor prays for you, but in most cases I would guarantee it is more than you would think.

Now that you know some things that your youth pastor will never tell you, what are you going to do with this information? It is my prayer that you would be a more faithful, dedicated, godly young person and be a greater encouragement to your pastor/youth pastor.

Different is Good

Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of “different” people in this world? There are people with strange ideas, unusual clothing, odd talents, and different personalities. While the goal of the Christian is not to be weird, the goal of the Christian should be to be different from this world.

Daniel was a young man who was different. He was taken to a strange place, given unusual food, and instructed with a new set of ideas. It seemed like everyone in Babylon was going along with this system, including the Jewish captives who should have known better. In Daniel 1:8, Daniel made the decision to be different from the crowd. He was more interested in pleasing God than in pleasing people.

As a Christian young person, you will be faced with the same choice. You can either fit in with the world, or you can stand out for Jesus. I Peter 2:9 reminds us that we are a “peculiar people.” We have been chosen and purchased by God; therefore, we are supposed to be different.

Daniel was different in many ways. Here are four areas in which Daniel dared to be different.

1. Appetite
   Daniel wouldn’t eat the king’s meat or wine. His appetite was different. It is so important that we develop an appetite for spending time with God, being faithful to Him, and living in accordance with His Word.
   • How much time do you spend every day on Facebook?
   • How much time do you spend every day playing sports?
   • How much time do you spend every day watching TV/DVDs?
   • How much time do you spend every day reading your Bible?
   • How much time do you spend every day praying?
   • How much money do you spend every week on yourself?
   • How much money do you give every week to the Lord?
2. Attitude
   Throughout Daniel’s entire life, he maintained an excellent spirit. It’s easy to have a good attitude when everything is going your way, but everything was not going Daniel’s way. When everyone else would have become bitter, Daniel became better.
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your parents?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your siblings?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your friends?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your pastor?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your youth pastor?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your teachers?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your coaches?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your attitude towards your employer?
3. Associations
   Daniel was definitely the leader, but he had friends that were willing to stand with him and do the right thing. Your friends will make you or break you. List your 10 closest friends.
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   The friends who help you spiritually should stay on the list. If there are friends on this list who do not help you spiritually, you are going to have to distance yourself from these people.
   

   Evil communications corrupt good manners.
   (I Corinthians 15:33).

4. Actions
   It is one thing to talk about doing right, but it is quite another to do right. Daniel “purposed in his heart,” but he also paid the price of doing right. Eventually, he was thrown into a den of lions – not because of what he talked about, but because of what he actually did.
   • Do you do right when you are all alone?
   • Do you do right when you are with your friends?
   • Do you do right when you are at school?
   • Do you do right when you are at work?
   • Do you do right when you are on a sports trip?
   • Do you do right when you are on the computer?
   • Do you do right when you are text messaging?
   • Do you do right when you are watching television?

The next time you want to be like everyone else, remember that different is good.