What You See Is What You Get
“Luke 2:8 says, And
there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over the
flocks at night.” (They were watching their lambs and were able to see the Lamb
of God.)
Christmas is all
about the sights, sounds and senses of the season. While there are many things that draw us in,
our ability to take in what is most important at Christmas will determines how
deeply we are changed. In a phrase, what
you see is what you get. It is not hard to realize that there is something
wrong within the human D.N.A. that causes us to give attention to what we want
and often miss what God wants.
Throughout Bible
history, you find God working and you find some people that were “tuned in” and
some people that were “tuned out.” In
the place you now stand, there are frequencies traveling all around. Radio frequencies, microphone frequencies, phone
frequencies, and television frequencies are all part of the activities going on
around you. It’s kind of “freaky” when
you think about it. If I have a phone, I can tune in to it. If I have a right dial setting, I can do that
as well.
In the Christmas Story,
the shepherds were being faithful to their duties. However, God had a little something extra He
wanted to show them. Luke 2:8
says, “And there were shepherds living
out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over the flocks at night.” Nothing
extraordinary seemed to be occurring, but it was already in motion. The pregnancy had already occurred, the
movement toward Bethlehem
was active, and God’s plan in full bloom.
They simply didn’t know it yet.
The same is true today. God is working but we don’t all tune
into it and often aren’t aware of it.
Some of us have been
dulled to that. If you’ll accept the
message that a Savior is born, He brings a spiritual joy that you cannot find
any place else. The good news was that a “Savior has been born.” So why do we need to “tune in” to the Savior?
Because every person is separated from God by sin. That separation leaves a hole that we try to
fill. If we don’t fill it with God, we try to fill it with things that will
only bring more frustration and depression.
People try every way to handle their problems.
Nowhere is that
better seen than in Charles Dicken’s, A
Christmas Carol. A Christmas Carol is the famous story of the
transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from a cold and self-centered tightwad, to a
generous loving man. On Christmas Eve,
we find him as an unloving man as there ever was. Nothing moved him. Nothing brought him joy. Nothing, that is, except money. He had forgotten how to love.
In the story, he has
several visitors; first from Christmas Past. When Scrooge’s old business
partner, Jacob Marley comes back to haunt him, he says, “I wear the chain I
forged in life; I made it link by link and yard by yard.” What a picture of
bondage! Then the Christmas Present
comes through the love of his nephew
Fred and His employer Bob Cratchit.
Then he experiences Christmas Future. It was the love of others that saved his life. Many of us have experienced that. It’s the love of God through Jesus Christ
that saves us from sin. When we begin to
understand God’s love, we find ourselves saved.
But Christ is the only answer seen which was just as they had been told.
The good news is that
God is working all the time in your life.
He’s bringing circumstances and people to help you know Him. Some
of His miracles are happening everyday. His sunset is a miracle. The earth flying through orbit is a miracle. Some of His work is occurring for you. We sometimes harden ourselves. God is a provider. God is a protector. God is a curer. But too often, we don’t open ourselves to see
it. While we don’t always see a host of
angels appearing to deliver the message, God still extends it in so many other
ways. All along, He’s offering His love, acceptance and
forgiveness to us.
Watching is tuning in to what God is
doing around you, seeing the world
through His eyes, picking up on His delight in us as His children. Anyone
can find happiness for a while… Happiness depends on what is happening to you.
Joy is different; joy goes deeper. Matthew 11:15
says, “He who has ears, let him hear.” Those are good words to remember as we
keep watch this Christmas to the new things Christ wants to do in all who have
ears to hear and eyes to see.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) Why do spiritual things
require more perceptiveness?
2) Recall when you first
noticed Christmas through God’s way of working.
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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