Good Afternoon! May the spirit of Christmas be with us ^_^
PEACE BE WITH YOU
As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday.. Every year there is
a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated.
During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many
radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone
is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer.
It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me.
As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago.
At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for
them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration.
Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know
the meaning of the celebration. I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor.
The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and
chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many
beautifully wrapped gifts.
But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited.
I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation.
The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they
closed the door in my face .. and I wanted to be
with them and share their table.
In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close
their doors to me. Since I wasn't invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise.
I went in and stood in a corner.
They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and
laughing at everything. They were having a grand time.
To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white
beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the
sofa and all the children ran to him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" as
if the party were in his honor!
At midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms
waiting for someone to hug me and do you know no-one hugged me.
Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with
great expectation. . When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe,
there was one for me. What would you feel if on your birthday everybody
shared gifts and you did not get one?
I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left.
Every year it gets worse. People only remember the gifts, the parties, to
eat and drink, and nobody remembers me.
I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life.
I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago
I came to this world to give my life for you, on the
cross, to save you.
Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart.
I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party,
I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party.
I'm still making the final arrangements.
Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you.
I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you
and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book.
Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party.
Those who don't answer the invite, will be left outside... Be prepared because
when all is ready you will be part of my great party.
See you soon. I Love you!
Jesus
Share this message, before Christmas.
Here are six tips for making a decision when you’re stuck:
1. Break the problem or decision into smaller pieces.
2. Gather the information you need.
3. Move off dead centre to get a different perspective.
4. Try God — God’s always there!
5. Let go and learn.
6. Don’t dwell in the past. If decision-making is a difficult task for you at this point in your life, put a message like “You’re a Good Person! You can Make Good Decisions!” somewhere that you’ll see every day. Read it! Believe it! Trust yourself and go forward.
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church.
We can't keep then from reading their Bibles & knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ.
If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior & maintaining that vital connection throughout their day."
"How shall we do this?", shouted his angels.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life & invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then, borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work & the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week,10-12 hrs. a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work."
"Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, the VCR, & their CD's going constantly in their homes.
And see to it that every store & restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds & break that union with Christ."
"Fill their coffee tables with magazines & newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hrs. a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues, & every kind of newsletter & promotional offering, free products, services, & false hopes."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted & unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts & movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip & small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences & unsettled emotion."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health & family unity for the good of the cause."
It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy & rush here & there.
Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge.
Adapted from http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/texts/topics/death/givemesimplelife.shtml
