Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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In some ways I'm glad the three little Hutchcrafts aren't little any more. When they were, the day before Christmas always meant assembling some "easy to assemble" toy. I hate those words! It wasn't easy to assemble. Oh, and the day after, oh that's nice. It usually meant fixing what was not easy to assemble in the first place. It seems like the day after Christmas there was always something was broken. Actually, there's some fixing that needs to happen before Christmas.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "I'm Dreaming of a Right Christmas."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 2, right out of the Christmas Story, verses 13 and 14. You'll probably recognize these verses. "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angels praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'" Do you see what the result of Jesus' coming was supposed to be? There's a celebration in heaven announcing that there will be peace on earth.
So, let's take a look at your relationships. Is there a relationship where the word "peace" does not apply this Christmas? You thinking of anybody? A broken relationship or breaking relationship? Maybe there's someone who has hurt you or you've hurt, someone who's left you, betrayed you, or turned on you? It could be a person who has talked about you or disappointed you. Or maybe there's a relationship where you were the hurter and they're feeling alienated by you.
Christmas is coming. And in this dark corner of your life right now there's no peace in that part of earth for you. Wouldn't this be a good time to fix what's broken? I mean, it will never get smaller than it is now. It will never be easier to fix than it is now. It's only going to get worse. Right now, this is the season when hearts are soft, when people's guard is down. If you're ever going to be able to put it together, this will be it. Would you take the healing initiative; the peace initiative? Write that letter if that's what it takes to ask for the walls to come down. Make that phone call to that person. Send them an appreciation gift and attach your bridge-building note to it.
Admit the mistakes if there have been any mistakes on your part. Would you be willing to admit them? Do it now. Go for that new beginning and say, "Let's start a new volume in our relationship; end of Volume 1; page 1 of Volume 2." Here's the alternative in Hebrews 12:15, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God." How does that happen? Well, "If any bitter root grows up among you, it will cause trouble and defile many." And that bitter root might be growing inside of you right now, and it's causing trouble. It's going to affect other people, and you will miss the grace of God because God's grace and your bitterness cannot co-exist in the same heart.
Listen! Start this battle for forgiving on your knees, for healing. You find that on your knees, and then you deal with any of it that is your fault. And then look for the needs behind the deeds of that person who has hurt you. They probably hurt you because they've been hurt. Look at them as a bleeding person, not just as someone who caused you to bleed.
And then go to the place where you can find forgiveness, and that is the cross of Jesus Christ, where the great forgiver forgave you. The Bible says in Colossians 3:13, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." They may or may not respond, but you do what's right.
Very possibly this could be the beginning of a new and better chapter in your life this Christmas season. Especially if you've come to the awareness that you have never experienced for yourself the forgiveness that Jesus came to give you; to establish a peace relationship between you and the God you're now separated from. Because He died to pay for every wrong thing we've ever done. When He said, "Father, forgive them" on that cross, He was forgiving you. Have you ever gone to your knees and said, "Jesus, I'm Yours." I can't think of a better time than the Christmas season, when He came for us.
Look, if you want to know more about how to do that, go to our website ANewStory.com. I hope you can enjoy the peace of knowing that this Christmas is going be a right Christmas.