“GIVING and GETTING”
Dear Friends, though the holidays are now past, I have another Christmas-themed Author Reflection for you. Christmas is a time for remembering the Savior who entered this fallen world to give His life for us sinners. Although many offer one another gifts for this reason, it is common to hear the question, “What’d you get for Christmas?” Of course, there’s nothing wrong with receiving gifts, but not all givers give what is useful or helpful to our spiritual maturity.
For example, it is absolutely depressing (for me) to dwell on what the fallen world offers humanity. You could say that the Kingdom of Light (Christ’s promises, etc) gives a more valuable gift than all the gifts combined from the kingdom of darkness. I’m sure glad I belong to the Kingdom of Light! What’d I get for Christmas? The gift of the Holy Spirit is a Person who just keeps on giving from the riches found only in Christ Jesus.
Gifts the World Gives
Many today are doing their best, even giving their lives, to preserve this fallen world, but look at what the world actually offers. In the past few weeks, the world’s largest volcano started to erupt. This awesome destructive force of nature, however, was eclipsed by the destructive nature of mankind as a World Economic Forum advisor proposed to remove all “irrelevant and useless” people from the world. That’s an interesting “gift” to humanity!
Earlier this month, San Francisco passed a bill 8-to-3 in favor of arming robots with lethal explosives to deter criminals. Robots are given new life as sinners are targeted for death.
At the end of November, hardly anyone noticed as the U.S. Federal Reserve implemented its version of digital coin to beta test in U.S. banks. I’m not sure if that’s a gift from the coming antichrist, or a gift for the coming antichrist and his one-world government . . .
The Gifts Keep Flowing
Canada has offered its version of a gift for its population as well by airing assisted-suicide ads. If you’re poor, homeless, or depressed enough, make your case and the state will gladly remove you. They promise in one ad to connect you with nature through death since you’re so disconnected from nature in life. What a gift!
Many to whom I minister cannot carry on a conversation without bringing up their psych meds. This evolving gift over the last several decades has left countless people scrambling daily to remember to take their mind-altering pills for hope, happiness, contentment, or to sleep. And some take pills to correct the side effects of other drugs. (I’m not referring to those who have legitimate reasons for taking meds.)
In another attempt to gift humanity with wisdom, silly debates about whether a boy is a boy, or a girl is a girl, rages on. It’s of course by design that we become distracted by such arguments so we won’t notice the more subtle gifts the world keeps on giving—like how China uses social media to challenge its youth to aspire to new heights, all while challenging U.S. youth to aspire to preposterous lows.
Giving and Receiving
It would be easy to lose our minds if we depended on anything in this fallen world to make us better or happier people. This is why we must now more than ever keep our eyes on the greatest Gift of all time. Jesus came to offer His life for sinners’ lives. We may know tribulation in this world, but we can press on patiently because He has overcome this world (John 16:33).
This world is passing away. Anticipate and prepare for the next!
I’m sure thankful I’ve received the gift of Christ’s life. It makes me want to share that gift with those who’ve depended on worthless, destructive gifts from this world.
What did you give this past Christmas?
See you on the next page!
David Telbat
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NOTE-1: You can now download updated versions of two PDF articles from our Book Funnel site:
- Ordered List of D.I. Telbat Books with Suggested Reading Order, and
- Crisis and the Christian.
NOTE-2: The BookSweeps Giveaway that began Jan 2 has been extended through Jan 18! Visit this link to enter for a chance to win a Bundle of 50+ inspirational books
by multiple authors, including D.I. Telbat’s FURY in the STORM!
COMING UP: Join us next time (Jan 30) for our Novel Update on D.I. Telbat’s books & publishing plans!
If you missed our last newsletter, you can read it here.
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