Stages and Ages
The
stages of a horse's life are fun to watch. He is born and stands up for the
first time on wobbling legs and before you know it, he is running around the
mom. Then he gets to be a horse for a short time while he nurses his mom.
Other stages are reached at certain ages and by careful planning as to what
his future will be. Time comes for halter breaking, the first saddling, the
first time to carry a person on his back and then his training begins. All of
this happens in stages of time. Each stage is built upon the one before it
until the plan for that horse is reached. If he gets stuck in one of the
stages, success is never attained and his potential may never be reached.
Here it is Christmas time - the time when we
celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus is depicted as the Christ child or
the helpless baby in the manger. Christmas is the biggest Holiday of the year
as far as money spent in the market place. It is the biggest Christian
Holiday. The second biggest Christian holiday is Easter. Christ is depicted
at Easter time as the sacrifice hanging helpless or dead on the cross. These
two holidays are wonderful. We need to remember that Christ came in the form
of a baby born in the lowliest of conditions. We need to remember that he
willingly became a sacrifice for us and died in humiliation nailed to a tree
in between two thieves. We can look back at those two events and realize that
our very eternal life depended upon those two events and our belief in the one
who was born, died and rose for us. We need to celebrate that Jesus made a
way for us to live eternally through acceptance of Him.
We also need to look forward as we celebrate
Christmas. We need to think of the next stages of the life of Jesus Christ.
He is right now at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. (Romans
8:27) But the day is coming when Jesus Christ becomes judge. He will judge
Christians at what is known as the judgment seat of Christ. You can read
about that judgment in 1 Corinthians 3 11-15 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. We are
going to be judged individually at that time and later we will be judged
corporately as a nation. The description of Christ in that stage is quite
unlike what the modernists have depicted him to be. He will have fire in his
eyes and a sword in his hand and will be clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood. He comes in that stage to judge, make war and rule. You can read
about Him in Revelations 19. I shudder in a reverent fear when I think of the
day that I will stand in front of the King of Kings and give account of
everything that I have done, said and thought. I know that I am covered by
His blood and forgiven, but I also know that I need to live my life
remembering that I need to walk repenting of wrongs that I commit. I know that
to walk in direct disregard to His Word is to bring judgment upon myself.
I shudder when I think that the United States of
America has aborted over 40,000,000 babies since the Roe/Wade decision. We
all got real patriotic when the terrorists hit our country, yet we have
allowed unborn babies to suffer horrible deaths at the rate of 5000 a day in
our country. Abe Lincoln once said that the strength of a nation is not
measured by its economy but by its ability to get prayers answered. It has
been said a lot lately that if God does not remove his hand of protection from
us, he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. But, He will hear our
prayers if we humble ourselves and turn and repent. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Think of Jesus Christ in the light of the coming
stages of His life. Perhaps we need some repenting parties instead of "dirty
Santa parties." Perhaps we need to fall on our knees instead of dancing.
Perhaps we need to individually and corporately celebrate this Christmas by
examining our lives in the light of the coming age. I wish you and me a
repenting Christmas celebration!