Well it’s almost here – I hope you are ready! Or perhaps you are waiting until everything is at half-price before you go Christmas shopping. I know it’s possible to grab a bargain if you just wait long enough and hold your nerve.
Sadly some people have that same kind of response to Jesus. Their argument runs like this: “It sounds good, this offer of eternal life and forgiveness, but I’ll wait a bit longer. Right now I want to enjoy myself and not get bogged down by church and religion. I’ll come to Jesus when I’m old and when I’ve really lived.”
But there are three major problems with that…
Firstly, time runs out. None of us know when we will die or when Jesus is coming back! Wait until tomorrow, and it might just be too late.
Secondly, the longer you leave coming to Jesus, the harder it gets. Like riding a bike down the same track and cutting a deep rut that’s hard to get out of, so saying ‘not yet’ to Jesus again and again makes it much harder to say yes later on.
And thirdly, following Jesus IS LIFE! Jesus came to live as one of us not simply to make us good, but to bring us to back God. The life of the Christian is a life with God by our side, not just in eternity, but now. It’s the presence of Jesus with us by the Holy Spirit that gives us his peace, fills us with joy, and helps us grow into the character of Jesus. Without Jesus, life is ultimately empty. With Jesus, life has a purpose and an eternal future.
That’s why the angels told the shepherds that the coming of Jesus was good news. May that be our experience this Christmas and through 2019, for God is with us!