Turkey And Blessings

I love this time of year, but I’ve learned that come November and December, it seems that every 5 seconds there is a commercial on for a toy, and for every commercial I get to hear, “Daddy! I want that !” I’ve finally learned to say, “Just tell Santa.” One day Clarissa saw an add for a certain Barbie Doll, and she screamed, “Daddy! I want that!” And I said, “Darling, you already got it!” You see no one’s immune, not even the preacher’s kid…not even the preacher.

We are always striving for more. The American Dream to get more and be satisfied so you wouldn’t have to worry. Interesting, I came across an article in US News & World Report it was reported that said, “For Americans with household incomes under $25,000, it would take $54,000 a year to fulfill the American dream. Those who make $100,000 plus, crave an average of $192,000. In other words, the American Dream usually lies nearly twice the distance away.

We need to learn to be content with what God has provided us with. Like an eight-year-old girl named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When she was asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought long and hard and finally said, “I don’t know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!” Paul said in Philippians 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

So instead of grumbling about what you don’t have, take a look around you and start thanking God for what you do have, and think about what all He has given you already. Think about the gift of Christmas, the incarnation of God. Have you ever seen all the things that happen when a President comes for a visit? He is honored by traveling on air force one. He’s whisked in and whisked out of his stretch limousine, the presidential seal is placed on the podium, Hail to the Chief is played and he is given standing ovations.

Quite a contrast to how God chose to come to earth…born in a barn. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." No secret service, Jesus came with no protection he came with complete exposure. Rich became poor, left heaven for earth everywhere he went in heaven he was accustom to angels falling down and worshipping Him and saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty. He willingly chose to set aside his power in order to demonstrate his love. God coming to earth is not a rags to riches story, it is a riches to rags story and the best thing is that God did it for you.

God came to earth to be with you and yet He was not content with just that, because God also wanted you to go to be with Him, but the problem was that sin blocked out path to God, so God did the only thing He could do to get you to Heaven, and that was that God in the flesh, God the Son went to the cross to die for the sin that separated us and God, thus paving a way for us to Heaven. What a gift. So don’t overlook your blessings. God gave us His best when He gave us His Son. We truly are a blessed people if we have only Christ and Christ alone.