I was watching an old Francis Chan sermon today and was moved by a very profound but simple idea he illustrated.
"Do you know what January 3rd is?" he asked. "My wife's birthday. It's going to be awesome. I'm going take her golfing. We're going to go golfing all day, and she can drive the cart around, do some putting. She can watch me golf and really get to know me better. It's going to be really special...really fun for me...I'm really looking forward to it."
"Yeah, of COURSE not," he followed. "That's crazy. That would be all about me. My wife's birthday is about HER. What SHE would enjoy. I wrack my brain and bend over backwards planning how I can best honor and get to know and bless HER."
Of course, he applied this to Christmas, and he was so right. It's so easy to think about all the things that WE want do to this Christmas, how WE want to be pleased this Christmas, what we want, how we want it to be...instead of ever thinking about how we could honor and please and celebrate HIM.
But he took it further than Christmas.
And it's had me thinking about it all day.
What about when we go to church? Are we preparing our hearts to worship Him, praying and focusing on how we might best honor and glorify Him? Or are we thinking about what and how we want to hear, what we need to feel, how we want things to be? What we want it to look like?
What about when we set out this week? Are we thinking about ourselves, what we want to do, need to do, what we want God to do, need Him to do, how He can bless us? Or are we heading into this new week, asking, "God, how? HOW can I best honor and bless you this week? Today? What would a day that glorifies you with my life look like today? Help me to bless you."
I don't know why I've never thought about today...Christmas like this, but since he said it, everything within me knows that this is THE ONLY way to think about Christmas, about worship, about today.
That we might produce downright joy in the heart of Jesus this Christmas. Today.
Yes!! Love that idea...and seriously why have I not that about it that way myself?? Thanks for sharing this, It's so what I have been trying to grasp in my mind to be able to put into words. I have been asking "why" a lot this Christmas season, being so annoyed with all the materialistic stuff and commercialism, but for whatever reason not having a way to wrap my brain around it...only being able to ask Jesus, " why is it like this? Please help me stay focused on you Lord when it all seems geared so far away from you!"
ReplyDeleteAnd that simple paragraph was just what I needed to bring it all back around and together. It just clicked like, " well, duh, Amber!!!
Hahaha. Thanks! Again!
good grief, God is using you to convict me today! Thank you!
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