I hope you had a very merry Christmas!

As I am sure many middle-class American parents can attest to, I watched my children open their gifts on Christmas morning.

They had been waiting for weeks for this day to arrive. Now that it is finally here, they excitedly opened all their gifts.

And gifts did they ever have!
Grandmas and grandpas, uncles and aunts, mom and dad all have given them such lavish gifts!

As I was watching them unwrap, I couldn’t help but be burdened with the thought, “How in the world am I going to teach them not to take all this for granted?” “How am I going to teach them that their ultimate pleasure should not lie in toys or gadgets but in Christ and Christ alone?”

It truly is harder for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God than a camel to go through the eye of a needle! And yes, we are the rich!

Only thing I know to do is to fall at the feet of Jesus and ask for his mercy on behalf of my children and myself. It would be impossible without God. But I know God can even thread a camel through the eye of a needle…

Ps. 103:17, “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”

I want to fear the Lord all the days of my life. I never want to forget that it is the Lord who gave me everything, and at the same time it is the Lord who can take everything away.

Remember the Lion of Judah (Jesus) – who is NOT safe, but good. (per C.S. Lewis)

PH