JUST THINKING, MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2010

As we celebrate the most wonderful season of the year.

I love the Christmas season, because it brings us together to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. But the past two weeks I have really been made to wonder, do we as a people really get into this season for the right reason? Especially we who are Christians do we really celebrate Christmas in the right frame of mind.

I understand it is the busiest time of the year we have shopping, parties, school play’s, Church cantatas, and all of these wonderful things that we all attend.

When I begin to watch and observe, we seem to forget there are so many who are so poor, less fortunate, jobless and even many of these people who have such dire needs, and they are being left out, forgotten. When it comes to our giving to the needs of helping these who are less fortunate, I have notice the churches and the saints of God seem to be slacking in this area. We are so busy with our own desires that we are forgetting the work of the church is reaching the people.

One instance was a ham give-away that I was involved in, only eight people gave to the cause and only two came and helped distribute to the twenty-two families we were helping. Second instance was a fruit basket give away. Only two people bought the fruit and the baskets. I, two ladies and a teenage girl distributed the thirty baskets. The third instance was the delivery of one hundred and fifty hand-sewn bags with fruit and candy to our local Veteran’s home. Only four to five people gave money to the cause. I along with, four adult women, four children and four teenagers went to the Veterans Home to distribute these bags.
We are so missing the opportunity to reach people with this saving gospel of truth, because we are so engrossed and occupied with our own desires and wants. God has blessed us so abuandantly and we fail to remember the reason for the season is GIVING.

I do not believe it is wrong for us to have a marvelous time of gift exchange with our families and friends. It is not wrong for us to buy special things for one another that we would not ordinarily buy. At the same time I believe all of this is wrong when we fail to give to those in our surroundings areas while we bask in excess and plenty.

O God my prayer is during this Christmas Season of 2010, wake us up to the real joy of GIVING from the bottom of our heart to those who are in need and doing without. Wipe away our greed and help us to see the needs around us. We must reach with all of our might to help these in need. If we touch their lives bodily first, we will win their confidences as to our real motives and we will then get the chance to touch them spiritually. Help us O God is my prayer to get involved as GIVERS to this hurting world.