Morning Devotional
November  26, 2005
"Christmas Music" (Part 2)       
    by Don Emmitte

Then Jesus said, ”Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NLT).


As we said yesterday, don't miss the silence of Christmas as much of the world comes to a standstill during this time. Take time to listen with your heart. Be still and hear the true message and meaning of Christmas that, above all, is a call to remember that even though much of mankind has forgotten God, God has not forgotten us, but is vitally involved in the affairs of mankind. Celebrate how two thousand years ago God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.

 

Among the many tragic consequences of men forgetting God in this past century alone have been World Wars I and II, followed by the division of Eastern Europe and the onslaught of godless governments, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the ongoing Mid-East conflicts, endless other wars, and the ever-increasing acts of terrorism around the world. History has repeatedly shown that when individuals and nations forget God, they ultimately lead themselves to self-destruction. But every year Christmas comes around to call us to remember God and to turn back to him, both as individuals and as nations.


Isn’t it strange and tragic that, instead of recognizing Christmas as God's call to turn back to him, people look for a vision or an emotional high or something electric as a sign of God's presence? And they miss him. When Christ came the first time, people didn't recognize him either because he didn't come the way they expected him to come. They missed not only the opportunity of a lifetime but also of an eternity!

 

Don't miss Christ's call to you this Christmas because you don't have some new experience out of the ordinary. Among other ways, God speaks to us through the miracle of Christmas, and commitment to him is a step of faith based on an act of your will—with or without any feelings or great flashes of insight.

Christ's call to commitment is the same today as it has been for the past two thousand years: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." That’s a message for today’s weary, not just yesterday’s weary!