When we look at Christmas, what do we see? Too often Christ is seen as a little tiny baby and that is it. That goes for a lot of Christians too. Basically many Christians are leaving the baby Jesus in the manger. “Oh, how cute. Look at the peace in the manger scene.” Yes, look at the peace. But way too many are missing the real point of Christmas. God sent His son. His only son. He was not simply sent to have Christmas. He was sent for a reason and that was to conquer sin once and for all. Well all who will believe and accept His perfect gift. Bottom line, Jesus came to die! Christmas is looked at as a time for peace, but Jesus didn’t come to make peace. He came to divide. Look at Luke 12:51. Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. That’s a bible truth that I think most overlook. Want another bible truth? Mary, the mother of Jesus, is held as one of the greatest women. She is even often worshiped Even she did not miss the reason for Jesus’ arrival. In Luke 1:38 we read; Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. And Elizabeth her sister even declares Him Lord before He is born in Luke 1:43; But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

When we leave Christ in the manger not only do we miss the point, but others that come in contact with us miss the point. If we are not showing Christ for who he truly is then those who are around us may not see Him or worse, follow in your footsteps. Remember when I said He come to divide? Well, the line has been drawn. A fence has been placed between Heaven and Hell. You can only choose one side to be on. Jesus said that if you are not 100% for Me, then you are 100% against Me. In other words you can’t ride the fence. If you try you will fall. And when you fall, on one side it will be a cozy pillow to catch you and on the other side it will be a hard landing. Which do you think is going to be the side of Jesus? Well for me, by experience, Satan’s side is full of pillows to catch you. And all that is just temporary. There is no joy on Satan’s side.

Merry Christmas,

Robert Prestwood

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

—Colossians 1:19–20

Red is the color of Christmas—not because Santa suits are red or because we wrap packages in red. Red is the color of Christmas because of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed.

We see a battle being played out in our culture today that is actually the battle of the gods. It is the God of the Bible, the true and living God, versus all contenders. This battle goes back to the first Messianic verse in the Bible when, after Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin, God said to him, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). Thus, Satan wanted to stop Christ from coming.

The cradle was pointing to the Cross. The Incarnation was for the purpose of atonement. The purpose behind the birth of Jesus was the death of Jesus. This is New Testament Christianity. It’s the division between light and darkness, righteousness and unrighteousness, good and evil, and right and wrong.

Interestingly, it’s actually through conflict that we can find real peace. For example, when someone walks into a dark place and turns on a bright light, it changes the entire dynamic. Through this conflict, through this disagreement, the ultimate unity will come. Why? Because as a Christian, you make people aware of their sin—and they don’t like it one bit. You don’t even have to say anything, really. You’re just being you as a Christian.

“The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”

—Proverbs 3:35

Parents, today you are leaving a legacy by your life, words, and actions. This will affect your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren, and beyond.

C. H. Spurgeon said, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you. So carve your name on hearts and not on marble.”

We need to think about the legacy we are leaving. Because when your last day on earth comes, you will not be remembered for what you may be making the focus of your life today.

When someone passes, foremost in their eulogy is who they are survived by. We talk about them as a spouse, a parent, a son or daughter, as a person who did good for others.

We don’t celebrate the wealth they acquired or how attractive they were, because when they are gone, we collectively realize those things don’t matter.

Socrates said, “Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim: Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?”

Our goal as parents is to lead our children to Christ and get them to heaven.

We are all leaving a legacy. The question is, is it a good or a bad one?

—1 John 1:9

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

1. When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters,I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.2. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

The cross of Jesus Christ frightens some. In the cross, they rightly see commitment. A man on a cross is facing in only one direction. He cannot turn back. And he has no future plans of his own. To follow Christ means to deny him or herself, to turn from ego and pride, and to completely surrender your life to Christ.

In England, there is a chapel built over 200 years ago bearing these words over the door: “We Preach Christ Crucified.” The chapel’s early pastors did preach Christ crucified. People came with testimonies of how lives were changed, and there was vitality in the church. But time passed. Vines grew over the motto “We Preach Christ Crucified,” until it read only, “We Preach Christ.” The men who stood in the pulpit named the name of Jesus Christ, but preached a social gospel of good works and morality. The vines continued to grow until the motto read “We Preach.” And they did. They preached philosophy, ethics, politics and literature. But not Jesus Christ. Not long after that, the little chapel was emptied.

 Paul told the Corinthians he had nothing to bring them except the message of Jesus Christ crucified. It is the message of the cross that divides all of humanity, and saves all who place their faith in Him. When we preach anything less, or anything more, we lose the power of God and the blessing of God. Don’t ever give up, don’t ever give in. Stand on God’s ground not yours.

Psalm 37:3-5

Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it…

So many times I come face to face with a giant obstacle that is as proportional as me and King Kong. I feel so tiny and helpless. And then I do the most stupid thing in the world. You know the “Man Thing”. I try to beat it, tackle it, jump it, solve it, or fix it all by myself. Most of the time I do this when I know I am right or I feel I have to prove something to someone. I sometimes feel like if I ask for help I will be looked at like a puny little boy who can’t do anything for himself.

Yes, I am that kind of guy who will read the directions only as a last resort. I am sure there are many other guys out there that do the same. I can see it now. If you are a woman reading this I bet you are looking or thinking of your husband or boyfriend and saying, “Hmm Hmm that’s right.” And the men are saying, “That’s why they invented duct tape.” Now I said that this is the “Man Thing” but I see women doing this also. All throughout history we see this happen. We see it over and over again and usually with the same result, failure. Well, that is the point. When I get right down to it, it is not about being right or proving something to someone or feeling helpless. It is about failure. I simply do not want to fail. We simply do not want to fail.

I have a passion for winning. I have a passion for getting the prize making my goal or a goal set by someone else all because I do not want to fail. Now I said that I would do the most stupid thing in the world, and that is failing all by myself. But I would not fail at all if and only if I would always read the instructions (The Bible) everyday and always pray sincerely to God through our Savior Jesus Christ for His will to be done in my life and not my will. That is the hardest prayer to pray because I’m not making the decisions. I bow down and admit that I am, tiny, helpless, puny, and totally submitted and committed to God and His will. If I do this, I cannot fail. I may not get what I want, but when I pray for what He wants for me instead of what I want for me, I will then get what I need and then that need will turn into what I want. And when that happens I make His goal my goal. And that is a prize worth winning.

By Robert Prestwood

—Philippians 4:9