The day of days is almost here! December 25^th is just around the corner and everyone, or almost everyone is excited for many different reasons. Some are happy because they finally get a few days off, others are expecting toys and other gifts and another group wants to eat, drink and dance the night away during the festive season.

                This joyous season of hope, love and peace has changed so much throughout the years that it is hardly recognizable anymore. The “Silent Night” has turned into the Santa night; the “Joy to the World” has become the joke of the world and Nativity is now a “Nut-tivity.”

                On Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) the nut-tivity season begins. Almost everyone starts behaving crazy (like nuts) going from one store to another, buying things they don’t need, with money they don’t have, to impress or please people they don’t even like.

                Nativity is the celebration of our Lord’s birth. I will not waste my time debating if He was born on December 25^th or not. We celebrate his birth on this day, but we do not celebrate a day or a month, or even a season: We celebrate his birth. The only thing that matters is the fact that He was indeed born…regardless of the day.

                As Christians, we must celebrate the birth of Jesus in a meaningful, hopeful, peaceful and joyful way. If you like to give presents, do so in the name of Christ and for his glory. Stay away from the crazy nut-tivity spirit that drives most people into a shopping, eating and drinking frenzy.

                Nativity belongs to us, the followers of Christ. Let this world worship Santa and his elves; we will worship Christ, our King. Let the people of this world put lights around their houses and decorate a tree; we worship Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12) who died for us upon a tree (the cross).

                Let us take Nativity back (also known as Christmas) and celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Immanuel (Matthew 1:23). Remember that He is no longer in the manger, on the cross or in the tomb; He now lives in our hearts.

                What will you celebrate this year? Will it be the usual “Nut-tivity” with all its crazy activity, or will you remember the Nativity that is, the birth of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

                A. G.

                In these last days of the year, many people are anxious with anticipation. They cannot wait for the holidays, hoping to receive many gifts, taste many delicacies, dance in many parties and become intoxicated many times.

                Businesses also relish those days with great anticipation. Most companies and stores make more sales (and money) in those few weeks than in the rest of the year combined. In fact, most businesses are considered to be “in the red” (losing money) until the end of the year arrives.

                Most people live with some form of anticipation or another. Students (and most teachers) live for 3:00 PM Friday and office workers languish for two more hours, anticipating the temporary freedom they enjoy on the weekends.

                What is it that you wait for with desperate anticipation? Is it the latest smart device? Are you waiting anxiously for the newest epic movie? Are you one of those sport fans that wait impatiently for the next game of your favorite team?

                What about living instead with heavenly anticipation?

                Weekends, games, movies, vacations, parties and all other events come and go, leaving us empty and unrealized. Our anticipation and our subsequent participation in those earthly activities end up in dissatisfaction.

                Let us focus our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and wait for the blessed hope of his imminent appearing (Titus 2:13). Let us walk with Jesus every day by faith, anticipating that glorious day when we shall see Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

                In Philippians 3:12-14, the apostle Paul clearly defines a Christian life lived in godly and hopeful anticipation:

                “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

                There is prize waiting for us on the other side. There is a heavenly home that has been prepared for us by the Lord Jesus (John 14:1-4). There is a Savior ready to welcome us with open arms into his glorious and eternal kingdom.

                Are you anticipating any of this, or are you too comfortable or too busy to even think about these heavenly things? I pray that all of God’s children will be filled with a holy and hopeful anticipation for the all the great things that our God has in store for us.

                A. G.

                We have recently studied about the Prodigal Son and how he demanded his inheritance from his living father. What a grave insult this must have been! He was saying in fact, “Father, I only care about your money and I don’t have time to wait for you to die, so give it to me now!”

                An inheritance is usually given to the surviving heirs of a deceased parent or relative. Only an evil child would dare ask for his inheritance before the appointed time. A good child—even though an heir— rejoices with and enjoys his parents and never gives a passing thought to their potential inheritance. To do so, would betray the love and intimacy of the family bond.

                As Christians we are heirs too. We are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) of all the infinite riches of the glory and grace of God. We have a glorious hope in Christ Jesus our Lord; the hope of heaven and eternal life.

                Death must occur for an inheritance to be made effective. While the parent or relative is alive their heirs are only “potential heirs.” As long as the relative remains alive, there is no inheritance because everything belongs to him or her.

                In the case of Christ’s followers, we don’t need to wait for anyone’s death (except for ours). Jesus died on the cross to secure our eternal inheritance. We are not potential heirs, but heirs indeed and there is nothing that can separate us from our glorious reward.

                “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”                        (Ephesians 1:13-14)

                A word of caution is needed at this point. If it is evil indeed for a son or daughter to think of their future inheritance and ignore and mistreat their parents, it is a great evil for believers to think only of their future glorious inheritance and forget to enjoy the Lord here and now.

                Brothers and sisters do not neglect to walk with Jesus today on the Narrow Way, while thinking about strolling on the streets of gold with Him one day. Do not worry about your inheritance for it is safe and secure.

                Enjoy Jesus today

                Walk with Jesus today

                Talk to Jesus today

                It is good to think about our heavenly home, don’t get me wrong, because it fills our hearts with hope and confidence. It is also good to dream about our inheritance, but keep in mind that our greatest inheritance is Jesus and we already have Him…today.

                A. G.

        Recently I came across the A.C.T.S acronym for prayer in one of my devotional readings. In an acronym, each letter represents a different word and sometimes they are arranged in such a way that they spell a word (like A.C.T.S.) to aid our memory.

         In this case A. C.T.S. is a very effective acronym to describe what prayer should be like.

         The A stands for Adoration. Whenever we pray, we must begin our prayers with worship and adoration.

         “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done
         On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

         The C stands for Confession. After we worship our Lord we must repent and confess our sins to God in order for our prayer to be heard and received.

         “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)

         The T stands for Thanksgiving. It is always good and wise to thank the Lord for all his blessings. Prayer is a way for us to express our eternal gratitude to our Savior.

         “…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20)

         Finally, the S stands for Supplication. There are petitions in every prayer, but they must be reserved until the end. We must first Adore, Confess and give Thanks and then we can begin to intercede for others and ask for ourselves.

         “Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
          And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:11-13)

         There you have it! Whenever you are in doubt about how to pray correctly, remember the A.C.T.S acronym to help you remember and then pray, pray and pray. Oh, and don’t forget to pray for me!

          A. G.

             I have a confession to make: I like sports and sometimes I watch a game here and there. I am not happy or sad with this situation; I guess that I just have a competitive nature. I don’t believe that watching or playing sports is necessarily a sin, although the following situations can be sinful or pretty close to it:

             Skipping church attendance because of a game (to play or watch).

             Not paying attention to sermons because you are thinking about sports

             Gambling hard earned money on different competitions

             Idolizing a team, a player or a sport

             Wasting too much time watching sporting events

             I fall into this last category sometimes. I have wasted time in the past while watching my favorite team lose time and again. Thankfully, I have only wasted my time, but there are many that have wasted thousands of dollars in tickets, parking, airfare, hotel accommodations and meals.

             The Bible encourages us not to waste our time in idle pursuits. The time that we spend (waste) on sports, videogames, and all other forms of entertainment have very little, if any, lasting value. I do not regret, however, the time that I have spent playing with my children and grandchildren or the “date nights” with my lovely wife.

             Family time is never a waste of time, for it can often be a time for bonding and for teaching the ways of the Lord. Perhaps this is what the Bible calls “redeeming the time” as we use our time wisely for several things at once. This is exactly what Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians:

            “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15, 16)

             And once again in another letter,

            “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.” (Galatians 4:5)

            Moses, the man who spent a great deal of time with God, admonishes us in the book of Psalms to become good managers of our limited time. If Fortune 500 companies value time management skills in their leaders and employees, the followers of Christ must learn to use the time that we have been given for the glory of God.

            “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

            What are we going to do with the rest of our time? Use it wisely or waste it unwisely?

            A. G.