Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Friday, December 25, 2015

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'"¹

As we said yesterday, don't miss the silence of Christmas Day as much of the world comes to a standstill on this day. Take time to listen with your heart. Be still and hear the true message and meaning of Christmas that, above all, is a call to remember that even though much of mankind has forgotten God, God has not forgotten us, but is vitally involved in the affairs of mankind. Today we celebrate how two thousand years ago God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.

Among the many tragic consequences of men forgetting God, in this past century alone, have been World Wars I and II, followed by the division of Eastern Europe and the onslaught of godless Communism, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the ongoing Mid-East conflicts, endless other wars, and the ever-increasing acts of terrorism around the world by religious fanatics and others. History has repeatedly shown that when individuals and nations forget God, they ultimately lead themselves to self-destruction.

But every year Christmas comes around to call us to remember God and to turn back to Himâ€"as individualsâ€"to save us from eternal damnation andâ€"as nationsâ€"to save us from self-destruction.

Another tragedy of our time is that, instead of recognizing Christmas as God's call to turn back to Him, people look for a vision or an emotional high or something electric as a sign of God's presence. And they miss Him. When Christ came the first time, people didn't recognize Him either because He didn't come the way they expected Him to come. They missed not only the opportunity of a lifetime but also of an eternity!

Don't miss Christ's call to you this Christmas because you don't have some new experience out of the ordinary. Among other ways, God speaks to us through the miracle of Christmas, and commitment to Him is a step of faith based on an act of your willâ€"with or without any feelings or great flashes of insight.

Christ's call to commitment is the same today as it has been for the past two thousand years: "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest"²

If you believe the true meaning of Christmasâ€"that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth to die for your sinsâ€"and you have never made a commitment of your life to Him, or if you sense a need to recommit your life to Him, click on the "Your Invitation from God" link below for further help.

Your Invitation from God at: http://tinyurl.com/6k49w.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, grant that this day as the wheels of industry come to a standstill, that the world will again be reminded of the reason for the silence and give thanks for the greatest Christmas Gift mankind has ever seenâ€"the gift of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And grant that we who know the Savior will do everything in our power to heed Your Great Commission to communicate the good news of Your salvation to everyone everywhere. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 11:28 (NLT).
2. Ibid.

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