Beyond Christmas

As we make our way through the busiest season of the year, a time focused on gift getting and holiday traditions, why is it that weeks from now, joy will fade and we will be back to our normal lives? After all, if lasting joy came from colorful lights or bringing trees into our living room, just keep them up all year? The reality is, lasting joy has a necessary ingredient known as contentment. The Bible says that godliness, WITH CONTINTMENT, is great gain. Our actions are only half of our life, the other half is how we view everything around us. Do you need one more item to be happy? Does your house need to be just a little bigger to finally be satisfied? Do you have to find a spouse or get the one you have to act the way you want before you can find fulfillment in life? I hope not.

The longer I live the more I have come to realize, “If you can’t be happy with what you have, you will never be happy with what you get.” Websters dictionary defines contentment as, “a resting satisfaction of the mind.” So how do we become filled with contentment? Do we meditate more? Buy crystals that give off the right kind of energy? Do more charitable deeds? Take more supplements or run a few extra miles? Most certainly not. The real antidote to joyless discontentment is to realize how much we have AND who has given it to us.

The Bible says that every good and perfect give has come down from the Lord. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that God brings good things into each of our lives. Believing in God or not won’t change His care for you in this life. His goodness is part of His very nature. Did you notice the beauty of nature today? Thank the Lord! Do your eyes work well enough to read this article? Thank the Lord! Did you sip a hot cup of coffee this morning? Thank the Lord! Did you have to do dishes last night because you had food to eat? Thank the Lord! Rather than allowing your mind to drift toward wanting what you do not have or wincing over situations you cannot change, take your thoughts captive and begin to live with consistent gratitude towards the Lord.

Please! Enjoy the lights and decorate your tree but above all things may you find lasting joy in the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ! At the end of life’s road, we will all stand before the Lord. Some of us forgiven and free from our sins because we have put our faith in the one true God. Others will stand before Jesus the judge, guilty and condemned to everlasting judgment because of their unforgiven sins. Which of these will be you? The Bible says that anyone willing to confess Jesus as their Lord and believe He conqued death when He rose from the grave, will be saved. Don’t make it all the way through the Christmas season and miss out on the greatest gift… Jesus Christ Himself. If you have any doubts or questions, we would love to talk with you. Give us a call at Calvary Chapel Star: (208) 329-5144