Christmas was about me…or so I thought

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3 ESV)

Christmas is always a fantastic time of the year for me. From my earliest age, I remember how my parents decorated the house and the early traditions we had of getting up before dawn to open presents. As a child, I couldn’t wait to get a bunch of gifts. I wanted to rush through the early morning reading of Luke 2 so I could get to my presents. I couldn’t wait to go over to the grandparents, so I could get more presents. Christmas was about me…or so I thought.

Notice I wasn’t ignorant of the true story of Christmas; it just had not sunk in yet. I loved the Christmas story and acting in Christmas pageants. But I looked at the season from a selfish angle. I want more stuff. Give me, give me, give me.

 If you spend any time with young children, that is the most common refrain: “give me, give me, give me.” We all have a root of selfishness deep from within our heart. This deep root that grabs ahold of our heart is sin. It’s the desire to be our own god and to have everyone worship us. It is about bending the rules to benefit me. It is a subtle, strong and pervasive problem.

That problem impacts so many other areas of our lives. What I didn’t realize was my desire for more gifts was masking the true desire or my soul. My intent behind “give me, give me, give me,” was for toys, clothes and food, but God knew better than I did.

That first Christmas, God heard our cries of “give me, give me, give me,” and He answered with the ultimate gift of His Son: Jesus Christ. In Jesus, He gave hope, forgiveness and love. He gave meaning and purpose to life. In Christ, He gave the answer to sin and selfishness. He didn’t just command selflessness, He demonstrated it.

In Philippians 2:5-8 we read about the incarnation, the birth of Christ and the great extent Jesus went to in order that we might have a way back to God and to overcome our selfishness. Even though Jesus was God, He did not feel entitled to leverage that, but He entered human existence as a baby. Totally vulnerable and dependent on earthly parents, as we all enter this world. He didn’t take advantage of His divine attributes, but showed us how to live dependent on the Holy Spirit. He humbled Himself as a servant and was willing to die for our sins on the cross.

This is the gift of Christmas. This is the answer to my heart’s cry.

Therefore, my response ought not be, “give me, give me, give me,” if I mean more stuff, more presents, and more food. But it should be “give me more of Jesus, give Jesus praise and honor, give glory to God in the Highest!” For God has highly exalted the name of Jesus because of His willingness to humble Himself.

I thought Christmas was about me until I clearly saw Christ. What is your focus this Christmas?

For me to live is...What?

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” – The Apostle Paul

Is the cup half full or half empty? Here lies the simple test of “are you an optimist or a pessimist.” How do you perceive the world?

Sure, we default to one view or the other, but it is your choice on how you see things. Do you tend to see the world being against you? Or do you see the potential around you? Do you complain a lot, or do you rejoice a lot?

These can be tough questions, and I have to admit that at times I tend toward the pessimistic side. I’ve struggled with that and know that it is not a helpful way to see the world. Why? Because it discounts the fact that God is alive and in control.

I begin to see the world as if everything depends on me and this leads to a sad outlook on life. In reality, God is working in marvelous ways that I can’t even comprehend.

In Philippians 1:12-30 we see the Apostle Paul describe what’s happening in his life as he writes one of the most joyful books in the Bible. Paul is in prison not knowing if he will be released or put to death. Prominent leaders in the church in the church are against him and trying to afflict him.

Yet Paul finds reasons to rejoice and encourage others. He sees his imprisonment as a benefit for the Gospel, and he even witnessed to the imperial guard. He saw the opposition of the leaders as an opportunity for the Gospel to be discussed far and wide.

And we see the source of his optimism is based on his relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter his circumstance, he is excited for the opportunity to obey God. If he is to live, then he will live joyfully in obedience to Christ. If he dies, he will be in the presence of his Savior. Someone who looks at life like this cannot be defeated.

What do you live for? How would you complete this phrase: for me to live is ­­­­­­­­_____________ and to die is ________________? Be honest!

“How would you fill in the blanks? If you say ‘to live is money’, you must say ‘to die is to leave it all behind’. If you say ‘to live is fame’, you must say ‘to die is to be forgotten’. If you say ‘to live is pleasure’, you must say ‘to die is to lose it all’. But if you can join Paul in saying ‘to live is Christ’, you can also join him in saying ‘to die is gain’.” –  Ellsworth, R. Opening up Philippians (pp. 28–29).

Do you desire a single focus as Paul had? I do! When we lose sight of the love of Christ we can get discouraged. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus, see what great love He has for us and how undeserving we are of His grace, it puts things in the proper perspective.

It is my prayer “that your love for Christ may abound more and more.”

Perseverance - Placing your confidence in sure foundation

This may come as no surprise to you, but the Cleveland Browns are 0-12 so far this season. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, it got worse.

Have you ever been in a season of life like that? A season where everything that could go wrong keeps going wrong? We’ve all been there, whether it was just a day or two, or few weeks, or even years. It’s easy to get discouraged and want to just give up, right?

The Apostle Paul wrote to encourage believers in Philippi and left us with one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6

Certainly, we could place Romans 8:28 right up there with that one too. But Paul was in a season of struggle where everything was going “wrong.” He actually wrote the book of Philippians while he was in prison. The book on being joyful was written from a prison cell.

Paul was able to look beyond his circumstance and see that his confidence wasn’t in where he was, what job he had, what car he drove, what smartphone he carried. No, it was in the work of Jesus Christ!

What brought him great joy was the Gospel of Christ and the partnership of other believers. He expresses his sincere love for the Philippians who are “partakers with me of grace.” The joy of fellowship with other believers because of what Christ had done was his encouragement.

In part I believe the Philippian church held a very special place in Paul’s heart because of how the church in Philippi was born. Spend some time reading Acts 16 for the full story. Paul was beaten and put in prison with his buddy Silas for preaching the Gospel and casting out a demon. While chained in prison and singing praise songs to Jesus, there was an earthquake that loosened their chains and opened the prison doors.

Instead of escaping, Paul and Silas got all the other prisoners to stay, which saved the jailor's life. Because of their actions, the Philippian jailor asked Paul what he must do to be saved. That very night the jailor and his family received Christ and were baptized, thus starting the church in Philippi.

Paul saw how God turned one of his worst days into a day of rejoicing! Through Paul’s pain and suffering came the birth of a new congregation, one that became very near and dear to the Apostle’s heart.

And so, I want to encourage you with this thought, keep your eyes on Jesus even when you are going through hard times. He is working in and through you in ways you can’t understand yet, but nothing is wasted with Jesus. You never know who is going to see Jesus in you as you preserve through trials.

Our confidence is not in our self, but in Jesus Christ!