My View of Life - Never Better!

All I Want for Christmas

Everyone loves gifts. You feel appreciated, loved, and remembered. I think of the gift our Heavenly Father gave us, even his Only Begotten Son. And Jesus himself gave us all he had . . . his very life that we might, through him, overcome sin and death and return to him and our Father in Heaven.

I think of the gift of America, land of the free and the brave. Those valiant men and women that gave their all for our freedom. Could I have given that ultimate gift of throwing my dying body at the base of our flag that it might stand through that fateful night of Sept. 14^th 1814 as the British made every effort to knock it down?

I am left to reflect on the gift that I can give. In doing so, I think of the worst possible pitfall that I may dig for myself. The answer is none other than pride. The very reason that great civilizations in Ancient America fell. It destroyed the city of Sodom (Ezek. 16: 49,50.) Pride is pitting our will against Gods just as Lucifer pitted to our Father, "my will and not thine be done."

If we look at the direction of our country, every new effort is to pit man's will against Gods. Surely it's easy to see where this road is taking us. Therefore, this is the gift I wish to give this Christmas season. I wish to purge myself of pride. This will help me rid myself of unrighteous and improper judgement. It will humble me that I might be amenable to God's counsel. It will make me a true American; one who honors, respects and loves our flag and our constitution. It will grant me a heart that truly loves America and its people, and finally it will strengthen me to look to God and endeavor to be worthy of his guidance.

This, to me, is just as hard as throwing my body at the base of our flag that Francis Scott Key might see it and be inspired to write our National Anthem. This will require my all, and I pledge right now that I will do all I can to give this gift to God, my neighbor and my country.

Now for the gift I wish to receive. Perhaps it's a gift that all Americans need and desire. It's the same gift I'm pledging to give, and I want it for those who stand in leadership positions in our country.

I wish for our leaders to purge themselves of pride. Look to God. Pray unto him that he might purge you of pride. Cultivate faith in his Son Jesus Christ that he will give you the courage and strength to do so. Cultivate true, Christ-like love in your hearts that you might truly love America, its people, and yourself.

Pray that you can put off any desire for power or gain, and replace those tendencies with a desire to bless, build, strengthen, and to lovingly give, serve, and sacrifice.

You will know when your heart is pure for when decisions come before you will seek the interests of America rather than your own.

The scriptures teach that when we don't put off our pride, this will be our fruits:

1. thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord (Deut. 8:14 & Ezek. 28:2)

2. by pride cometh contention (Prov. 1:10)

3. Pride goeth before destruction (Prov. 16:18)

4. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes (Isa. 5:21)

5. whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (Matt. 23:12)

6. men shall be lovers of their own selves . . . proud (2 Tim. 3:2)

7. all the proud . . . shall be as stubble (Mal. 4:1)

Wow, for having been written thousands of years ago for our time they are spot-on, and the recompense for pride is something no one wants.

The problem with asking this gift of our leaders is that it is difficult; perhaps as grueling as throwing your dying body at the base of our flag at Fort McHenry. They need help and we can give them that help. My wish this Christmas is that every person in this country would include in their prayers this Christmas Eve, at ten p.m. Eastern Time, that our leaders, regardless of party, will truly endeavor to purge themselves of pride, and becomes a person that desires to build, bless, and love America and it's people. Turn your hearts to God!

Look deep inside yourselves and ask these questions. Why is Washington broken? Am I contributing to the corruption? And what is motivating me to act the way I do?

If your motivation is because you are afraid the other party will gain more power and control so you will bat down anything they do even if it's beneficial for America then your motivation is "fear of the consequence."

If your motivation is the desire for the reward, in other words, more power and control, then you have your reward--greed, lust and the frightening rewards of destruction mentioned in scripture.

Or is your motivation love. Love for God and your neighbor. This question was posed to Jesus. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord the God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The central feature of pride is enmity--enmity toward God and enmity toward our neighbor. As we know, enmity means hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.

Therefore, let us all put off our pride. The fruits will be true love for God and our neighbor. Joy, peace, prosperity and goodwill will abound. If we don't, we see the fruits, and none of us want to live in such a country. Let us remember what Christmas is all about. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.