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CHRISTmas Gift Guide pg. 8
Naughty or Nice?
A Christmas Self-Assessment
‘ Seth Halpern - Editor by
Tis the season to be “nice”. Donations go up; Charities abound. There seem to be more people on the streets holding signs for help. It is certainly the most giving time of the year. Not only are we giving to loved ones, but our hearts are usually more open to give to those seemingly “unloved” in our world. Our anemic economy has caused a tighter grip on our wallets, but charity and help are still heightened during the holiday season. Perhaps we do this as a need to feel more “nice” than “naughty”. Maybe we are trying to make up for our greediness or selfishness during the rest of year. We all have our reasons to help. Usually, there is a pure motive. We want to see others “feel” better, so we do “our part”. It is doubtful that the majority of us help purely to be on Santa's “good list”. We genuinely want to relieve pain and suffering from others. Don't you? So then, would you consider yourself a good person? More “Nice” than “Naughty”? You would be in the vast majority if you considered yourself “good”. After all, watching the eleven o'clock news night after night should cause most of us to feel like a hero for simply not being a criminal. There is a lot “sickness” in our world. Yes, there is a lot of physical illness and suffering. But there is also a lot of mental illness that would cause people to do the horrible things that we see on those news broadcasts. Combine that with the media's insatiable desire to offer a buffet of horrible incidents with an often blind eye toward the “good” news stories of real heroes. So then, how DO we measure “Good” and “Bad”, “Naughty” and “Nice”? There is good news and bad news
“...watching the eleven o’clock news night after night should cause most of us to feel like a hero for simply not being a criminal." here, but it is not a joke. The bad news is that our creator, God, has said that there is no one good (Rom 3:23) “But”, you may protest, “didn't He create me in His 'Good' image”. Yes, he did,but we didn't stay that way (and we can't blame Adam or Eve for that either!). Our original parents rebelled in the Garden by choosing to disobey God. However, before we blame them, we need to look at our own lives. It is true that we are tainted by their choice, “sin” as God calls it. Yet, we are not innocent of this behavior. We each go against His will and His way. Test yourself with the Ten Commandments. You and I will fail miserably. We may not have murdered anyone, but what about the other commands such as worshipping God alone or not coveting (desiring) something that's
not our own. (You can check the rest of them in Exodus chapter 20). “What, then”, you might ask “is the good news?” The Good News (or Gospel) is that even though we are NOT Good, God, our creator, Loves each of us enough to pour all of His Glory into human form to live with us (Emmanuel) and come to this planet as a baby boy. This is the true Christmas story (It's not about licking a icy pole or getting a BB gun). If you're confused about what a baby boy in another part of the world has to do with your sins, then you need to know about another holiday that is celebrated in the spring, called Easter. The baby boy (Jesus) grows up as God and man and lives a life without sin. He is seen as a threat by the Jewish leaders so they want him killed. Yet, this was all part of God's plan to lead Jesus to a cross to be sacrificed so that the Holy and Righteous God could free us to come back into relationship with Him. The baby boy was the modest, humble beginning of this servant who took upon himself all of our sin and to pay the price for it in order for each of us to be free to enjoy a loving relationship with our Father in Heaven. So, in a nutshell, you can't be “nice” enough to gain His approval. However,
you can receive His gift of forgiveness no matter how “naughty” you have been. Move over Santa. The real gift giver is Jesus!
Calendar of Events pg. 11
Sponsor Spotlight Terry Brown pg. 12
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