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If you are unsaved and have not been “born of the Spirit” and become a “new creature in Christ” then you are urged to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call upon Him while He is near. The best way to do that is to read the Bible, asking God to show you what He says – in the Bible – about what happens to sinners like you who die in their sins (read Luke 12:4-5 for example). For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Not only does this breed discontentment with what they have, but also with themselves.They are being watched and judged at every turn. One wrong move and they might be declared “bad” and lose all that they wished for or they might be perfectly “good” and feel self-righteous and entitled to their “gifts.” Generosity
My son asked why we give gifts at Christmas. I told him it is because we are celebrating Jesus coming to earth and being born and when someone has a new baby, you give them gifts. We often wonder why people confuse Christ and Santa Claus. They also assume that because Santa Claus is fiction, Jesus must also be. Is it only a speculative faith based on intuition or something worse? We don’t make him “earn” his gifts. He actually didn’t remember any of the gifts “from Santa” so he thought Santa “didn’t know about me.” He thought that was why Santa only gave him a candy cane and coloring book (the Santa who drives thru the neighborhood does this – ha!). The True Message Of ChristmasTo be perfectly honest with you nowhere in the Bible is holiday known as Christmas mentioned. If you choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, do that then. However, adding Santa Claus into the mix is in no way Christian. If you read that article, Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6). They ask: what is the harm in enjoying and spreading a little magic during Christmas time? The historical figure of Saint Nicholas is well-documented, and the legend of his counterpart Santa Claus is rooted in the spirit of love and giving, after all. And even if Christmas has become commercialized, that doesn’t necessarily mean the religious aspects lose importance, proponents argue. In fact, perhaps this shift has helped to further crystalize why those spiritual lessons still matter.
If you want the season to be about your version of caring and Jesus, you better move it to August or September. And for Odin's sake, don't celebrate it on a day of the week named after some other religion's gods. (Friday, Saturday, etc.) The Christmas season, which is supposed to be more about sharing, caring, and honoring God, may be overshadowed by materialism and greed. Despite modern notions, Revelation is not about the end times. The entirety of Revelation is about Jesus first and foremost and a revealing of his identity and kingdom. Yes, it also gives us clues of things to come, but it is first and foremost about Jesus.The existence, crucifixion, rising, and glorification of Jesus Christ are historical events, with eyewitness sources and the Bible testifying to his actual existence. Drop the elf / Santa spy. If you want your kids to have integrity, they need to find the value of doing what’s right because it’s right. This is part of intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is more powerful and long-lasting than extrinsic (rewards). Manipulating them to get them to behave can make our lives as parents easier in the short term, but in the long term risks making them into hypocrites. Prioritize Jesus If I lie to them about Santa, what’s to keep me from lying to them about Jesus? My words have lost worth. Work harder to celebrate Jesus than Santa. Santa comes with easy built-in traditions, but how are you celebrating the birth of Jesus with your children? Put the most effort into celebrating Jesus’ birth, not Santa.
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