Extravagant Holiday

When the tinsel is packed and all the pine needles are finally vacuumed, what's left? Are we filled with contentment and joy?

Sadly, many of the holiday gifts were returned as soon as the relatives went home. Some didn’t fit, didn't match, or weren’t appreciated. Parking lots around our malls were filled to the brim in the days after Christmas as much as the days before. Stores even opened two hours early to brace for the post-holiday frenzy. It's as though all the effort and planning and giving wasn’t enough.

We are an unsatisfied people living in a world FULL of STUFF. We ask, "What did you GET?" and "Did you get what you wanted?" And the music fades.

It is a studied fact that Americans have more wealth than much of the world, but we are more miserable and discontent than ever. Suicides and pills, addictions and divorce rates have skyrocketed disporportionately higher here than in other parts of the world that barely have the necessities of life!

So let me ask, did you get what you want? Do you have what you need?

If peace and contentment aren't scratched off your list, and you haven't yet been given a full heart of the riches of God's forgiveness, it's NOT TOO LATE! The great thing is, these gifts don't involve a large debit on your credit card, because they have been fully paid and reserved in heaven for you.

God created a one-size fits all package, wrapped with his care, guaranteed to give rest to your soul and satisfy for all ETERNITY! It is the promise of life eternal; a clean slate, a forgiven heart, a renewed mind and a place at his table forever.

You don't even have to find a parking place or stand in line! Just ask Him. Talk to Him. He's always listening, for the eyes of the Lord roam to and fro over the earth, and his ears are open to our cry.

I was just thinking, wouldn't it be great if instead of rushing through all our holidays like crazed consumers, we could roll them all together into one big celebration and make it last longer? What if it could even affect our daily lives? That would be one extravagant holiday!

Like the Magi you could "get wisdom, with all your getting," and pursue the God who has been pursuing you! Then, look ahead and celebrate a prosperous future that will last forever. Finally, commit to the One who sent his ultimate "valentine" and the greatest love letter ever written—the Bible.

This is so much more than a fleeting or forgetable toast to good health. The Word of God holds hundreds of promises to carry us through whatever we may face, and then on to a glorious future in his presence!

So, Merry Christmas! Happy New Year and  the most extravagant Valentine’s!

You are deeply loved by the One who made you.
Psalm 139