Matt Jones' Random Acts of Verbiage

Don’t worry, I won’t talk much. Christmas is upon us once again and I can take a step back and relax. The year has been a good one. There have been a few key things that I have been dwelling on lately that I think fit well with an end of the year post as well as a reflective post on the meaning of Christmas: 1) The sufficiency of Christ and 2) the absolute necessity of Christ.

Christ is truly sufficient. This is a point that definitely rubs people the wrong way. For me to say that Jesus is the only thing I need is for me to say that others are wrong. That is unfortunately true. But Jesus is the great agitator. And if people are really honest with themselves, they would have to come to the realization that whatever their belief is, they would ultimately say others are wrong and their belief is right. Not everyone can be right. Just because I think I am right and someone else is wrong, doesn’t mean I think anything less of them, they should think I am wrong too. But when it all comes down to it, after all I have studied about Christianity, about other religions, about science (all of which have great aspects to them in their own right), it always comes back to Christ; Jesus is sufficient.

Christ was absolutely necessary. The Jews knew a messiah was necessary, the Old Testament spoke of one who would come to rule the world. They misunderstood what that would look like; a small baby does not seem like a conqueror. Whether Calvinist or not, we should all be able to see that we are ALL broken in some way. That we are lacking. We are not able to do this on our own. Being “good enough” doesn’t really cut it. Now, the old school (well OT) way of doing things would have been to sacrifice a lamb as a replacement for my wrong doings. But that just wasn’t enough because people are so much more important than animals. Our treason against God cannot be made up for through animal sacrifice nor can it be paid for by me doing good things. No one is good or pure enough. Well until Jesus came along. The Gospel truly is the best story ever written, mainly because it is non fiction narrative that was told so well, I don’t have to actually come up with the words (which is fortunate for you all!).

And he who was seated on the throne said, �Behold, I am making all things new.� Also he said, �Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, �It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.� (Revelation 21:5-6)

His Mercy and Grace has saved us all. And thank God for that, because we cannot do it on our own!

As Relient K said it:

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life

Enter into Christmas with this: Christ has already come and died for you and me you cannot do anything to get Him to love you more than He already does right now.

Here are a few of my other selected Christmas posts: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Get the X out of X-mas - Dickens speaks Truth and Christmas a pagan holiday? Also, if Christmas is putting you in the charitable mood, please consider donating to either Blood: Water Mission or Potters for Peace and get clean water to those who need it in Africa.

God bless and Merry Christmas!

As a PS: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day has easily become not only my favorite Christmas song, but Hymn because it resonates so well with my own soul:

And in despair I bowed my head
�There is no peace on earth,� I said,
�For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.�
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
�God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.�