Jesus is coming again!  This statement of fact will soon be proven undisputed, but what to do until then?  For the Christian, we look forward to the return of our King, but for those who reject Jesus, that day will bring about a cold reality of a failure to receive what has been offered.

Christmas has been coopted and morphed by the world into a facade of manufactured "cheer" but never contentment. We have "more" than ever, but never enough. Jesus offers the seeker something that money cannot buy - "peace".

God's love is radical and ridiculous when viewed against the backdrop of human devotion.  The incredible message of the gospel displays a kind of love that give redefinition to what love actually is.

True joy is undeniable, it affects us and become infectious. However, the source of true joy isn't found haphazardly or indiscriminately. Rather, it is offered exclusively in the gospel. To discover the source of true joy, we must look to the gracious gift of God that He gave to His creatures which found only in the completed work of Jesus Christ. The perspective, if recognized properly, will forever change how we understand the story of Christmas.

It so easy to get caught up in the commercialism of the Christmas season, and Christians today are feeling the pressure of "political correctness" and marginalization of Christian values more and more.  Should we capitulate and admit defeat?  Or is there a virtue in embracing a suffering for the Lord?

"Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars..."

"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do..."

"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience..."

Idolatry can take many form, but the most dangerous is when it is unseen. The church in Laodicea has become spiritually blind because they've focused on cultural values rather than on Christ. They've replaced a dependency on the gospel for a self-sufficiency that has left Jesus outside of the church, and has jeopardized them towards an allotment of judgment with the world.

Without Christ, our world will try to substitute security in any and every way: security in our health, security in our retirement savings or "social-security", or security in what our own 2 hands can accomplish.