Even though I love the Lord with all of my heart, I take no offense that the world does not want to say "Merry Christmas." Those words aren't in the Bible and they're not a requirement for me to be able to enjoy the celebration of Christ's birth. I also have no expectation that I should hear them in the market place or my work place. These words are valid for a only small segment of the year - but there are many more days throughout the year in which I can show the love of Christ in what I do and say.
Being moved by God's compassion to help or lend an ear to someone will
cause your words and actions to ring in their hearts much longer than
those 2 little (seasonal) words which so many are upset about! At any
time of the year, when you look someone in the eyes and they see that
you are different than the world around them, they will be drawn to the
Spirit in you. The words you speak and the love you show will have a
stronger impact than that one phrase which is said a few months out of
the year.
November and December are months in which retailers, especially, will say and do whatever it takes to bring sales! Their desire is to be inclusive enough to sell to people who celebrate the 'season' but don't celebrate Christ. And realistically, when the un-saved world says "Merry Christmas," it's no different to them than saying "Happy Halloween!" It's just another holiday. Why have an expectation that the unregenerate world will operate through the Holy Spirit and say "Merry Christmas" with some kind of spiritual intent behind it? We're bringing Christ to them, it's not the other way around.
However, when a Spirit-filled, caring and loving person of God says "God Bless You," all of heaven enforces it, activating the power of God to bless and encourage that person. That could be the start of something life changing!
As Christians, have we become like the rest of the world in that we take offense at things that just bother us but aren't necessarily worth putting our efforts into or bringing up a complaint about? God is much bigger than the phrase "Merry Christmas," and truthfully, there is nowhere in the Bible where we're told to speak these words and celebrate in the manner in which we do.
November and December are months in which retailers, especially, will say and do whatever it takes to bring sales! Their desire is to be inclusive enough to sell to people who celebrate the 'season' but don't celebrate Christ. And realistically, when the un-saved world says "Merry Christmas," it's no different to them than saying "Happy Halloween!" It's just another holiday. Why have an expectation that the unregenerate world will operate through the Holy Spirit and say "Merry Christmas" with some kind of spiritual intent behind it? We're bringing Christ to them, it's not the other way around.
However, when a Spirit-filled, caring and loving person of God says "God Bless You," all of heaven enforces it, activating the power of God to bless and encourage that person. That could be the start of something life changing!
As Christians, have we become like the rest of the world in that we take offense at things that just bother us but aren't necessarily worth putting our efforts into or bringing up a complaint about? God is much bigger than the phrase "Merry Christmas," and truthfully, there is nowhere in the Bible where we're told to speak these words and celebrate in the manner in which we do.
Let's not
base our celebrations of Christ's birth on how the unsaved world
responds to it, but on what Christ has done in saving us! If you desire
to say "Merry Christmas" with the heart of God behind it, then say it.
But if you cannot say it at your workplace, or they don't say it in the
stores you frequent, simply shake off the dust, be as wise as a serpent
and as innocent as a dove (Matt. 10:16), and say
"God Bless You!"
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