Why is this world so intent on promoting sincerity, tolerance, and open-mindedness? I don’t want to speak sincerely, I want to speak truthfully. I don’t want to be tolerated, I want to be cherished. I don’t want to open my mind to both the right and the wrong things, I want to close my mind on the right things and not let any of the wrong things in.
Jesus is the only Way any of this truth prevails. Even though this world shuns Him, Jesus sacrificed himself in the world’s place, so whoever believes in Him may have His Way inside them for a blessed eternity. The Lord’s Way helps us understand that He is more than a helpless babe in a stable; that He is the Savior of our loss, hurt, and failings, and He is the Giver of redemption, healing, and forgiveness. His Way helps us see that everyday people are dying away, but the Emmanuel has already come, the Herald angels have already sang, and the infant has already rocked away in a manger.
When we choose His Way, we move through a lifelong cycle of accepting His Way, exposing His Way, and learning through His Way about how extravagantly He loves us. Through that cycle we may speak the truth, not based on how strongly we feel, but based on Himself; and we may be cherished by the Lord of the Universe, which leads to cherishing others in return, rather than simply accepting them. His Way also guides us to pursue only godly desires, rather than mingling them with the worldly desires that war within us. And, most importantly, His Way is the only way that will last forever.
So may God have His Way in you this Christmas, friend. And let us each remember what Christ is all about.
“As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.” – Psalm 18:30 (NIV)