It’s really a simple story.

At the start of time, God created the heavens and the Earth. This wasn’t 100 billion years ago - it was about 6,000 years ago.

God created man in His own image. We look like Him. He created woman to be a companion and a help to man.

The Garden of Eden was a perfect situation, with Adam and Eve in daily fellowship with God.

Then they sinned. They deliberately disobeyed God’s instruction about eating fruit (it doesn’t say apple, by the way) and introduced sin to the nature of man.

God, by His nature, is sinless and cannot abide sin in His presence. The only way to reconcile a fallen mankind with a holy God was through the sacrifice of an innocent.

This was accomplished through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus was born of Mary, a Jew, in the little town of Bethlehem, the City of David, as predicted in the Old Testament.

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The “real meaning of Christmas” is not giving gifts, is not spending time with family and friends and it isn’t even “peace on Earth.”

It’s about God taking the form of a man. Jesus lived a perfect life. He didn’t sin. He followed the will of God completely.

Part of that will was for Jesus to die on the cross. Jesus did nothing to deserve that punishment. He was innocent. Because He was without sin, He was able to make that sacrifice, to die for those who could not save themselves.

The good news of the Gospel is that not only did Jesus die for our sins, but He was resurrected and now is alive in Heaven. And, the gift of eternal life, of reconciliation with God, is freely offered to all men.

All you have to do is believe.

That’s hard for some of us.

Some can’t believe that God could create the Universe. As unreliable as it is, they place their trust in science and the reasoning of men. It’s a bleak prospect because they believe that when you die, you simply cease to exist.

Some can’t believe that man is sinful by nature and needs redemption. Take a look around. Do you see people becoming better or worse? Is moral decay declining or deepening?

Some can’t believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The Old Testament has over 300 specific prophecies concerning the Messiah and every single one was fulfilled by Jesus. Every one.

Some can’t believe that God would care about sin. They focus on the love of God and ignore His righteousness. Surely, they reason, a loving God could not send a person to Hell for eternity.

I wish that were so but according to the Bible, Jesus will deny those who deny Him. And Jesus made it clear in the Gospels - they only way of salvation is through faith in Him and Him alone.

Oprah may tell people that any path to God will work as long as it is sincere but that is simply not true.

Some can’t believe that Jesus is alive. God’s Holy Spirit is at work among us. He is the Comforter that Jesus promised. The Holy Spirit teaches us, comforts us and disciplines us. We are His workmanship and God delights in our spiritual development.

Some can’t believe that salvation comes by faith alone. Shouldn’t you have to work your way to Heaven, they reason? Salvation is a gift. You cannot earn a gift. There is no work on Earth that is so great that it will earn us a spot in Heaven. Oh, God wants us to do good works. That is how we show our love for Him. But we are saved by the blood of Jesus.

Christmas should be one of the times of the year when you contemplate your spiritual destiny.

It’s easy to get caught up in the materialism and see the holiday only as a time to enjoy family and friends and share gifts and parties. There is nothing wrong with these things.

But these are not the reason for the season.

Please find a Bible-believing church and attend Christmas services. And then go back in January. Find someone in that church, the pastor or another church leader, and ask if they would share with you their spiritual experiences. My guess is most would be happy to pray with you about your concerns for your spiritual walk, your family, your career and the cares of this difficult life.

It’s important to part of a church family.

Since I came to Christ, my life has changed. I will never be the same. My priorities have shifted for the better. I pray each day and I see specific answers to my prayers. I read the Bible and I am getting to know the heart of God through scripture, Bible teaching and the counsel of other Christians.

I know this column sounds pretty preachy and it is. But this is what I know to be true based on 50 years of studying the Bible and walking (albeit imperfectly) with God. You might disagree with some of my theology but you can’t deny that every man has a God-shaped vacuum in his heart.

And there’s a very simple solution to that problem that is found in the core of the Christmas story.

o Working in an ophthalmology practice that specializes in LASIK surgery, a tech is expected to comfort nervous patients. But prior to one operation, the patient was so nervous she was actually shaking. __

Nothing the tech said to her would comfort her so after the doctor finished on the first eye and before he began on the second, the tech wanted her to know the surgery was going well.

There, she said, patting her hand reassuringly, “Now you only have one eye left.”

• A man worked in an art supply store and sold artists’ canvas by the yard, and you could get it in either of two widths: 36 inches or 48 inches.

Customer: “Can you please cut some canvas for me?”

Clerk: “Certainly, what width?”

Customer: (confused and slightly annoyed) “Scissors?”

• “I’d like the number for Christine Smith in Richmond, Virginia,” the young man said to the 411 operator.

“There are multiple listings for Christine Smith in Richmond, Virginia,” the operator said. “Do you have a street name?”

The young man hesitated a moment,

“Well, uh, most people call me Snake.”

• A man couldn’t find his luggage at the airport baggage area. So he went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that his bags never showed up.

She smiled and told him not to worry as they were trained professionals and he was in good hands.

“Now,” she asked him, “has your plane arrived yet?”

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 24th, 2009 and is filed under Columns.