Browsers and Buyers

#1797

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause

And did the Holy and the Just,
The Sovereign of the skies,
Stoop down to wretchedness and dust,
That guilty worms might rise?

Yes, the Redeemer left His throne,
His radiant throne on high,
(Surprising mercy! love unknown!)
To suffer, bleed, and die!

He took the dying traitor's place,
And suffered in his stead;
For man (O miracle of grace!)
For man the Savior bled!

Dear Lord, what heavenly wonders dwell
In Your atoning blood!
By this are sinners snatched from Hell,
And rebels brought to God!

What glad return can I impart
For favors so divine?
O take my all, this worthless heart,
And make it wholly Thine!

-   Anne Steele, 1859

In 1897, published in a New York newspaper, a young girl asked the question which the Editor answered about the reality of Santa Clause.  In my lifetime, 85 years, I have witnessed the reality of a sin cursed world's Santa Clause, the fact that most human beings, heading for that broad path that leads to destruction (hell) are only interested in "getting" instead of giving.  Most millennial, welfare recipients I know, are browsing the programs all the time to see what they can get, to see what Santa Clause USA can give them.  AND, not limited to the "have nots" I noted yesterday that 6 types of pie were being served at the Chief of welfare recipients, living in a big house on Pennsylvania Avenue with 14 fireplaces...living better than Mitas, flying on a plane where the gold playing cards on the plane cost $85,000 a deck.   

In the meantime, those warriors and their families, who have kept this country free are treated like not even second but 9th and 10th class citizens.   The migrants/refugees who slip in across the border are treated much better.  This old blind Veteran learned long ago that noone cares, that the VA would much prefer for all Veterans to commit suicide...much cheaper to bury one than to care for one.  A citizen runs for public office because he is that much closer to the big pot of money, and he will give heart, soul, all his principals to stay there.  Next in line are the bureaucrats who have only one thing in mind, their package deal and retirement.  WHILE, the average peasant/serf God fearing, tax paying, hard working "Joe and Jane Citizen" are too busy buying the American Promise...working hard to support a family, keeping a home nice for the community, knowing that they do not have anything to look forward to except "blood sweat and tears".  The citizen knows that unless he pays the bill (taxes, license, permits) these same bureaucrats, politicians will take everything he owns.   This is the dilemma in which we find ourselves in the early years of the 21st Century, Browsers and Buyers, saved and unsaved.  Those of us who know our salvation who claim the precious promises of eternal life know that God never promised us a bed of roses here on this earth.  Can you even imagine what it was like when our blessed Lord's feet nourished the soil around the sea of Galilee to see what was going on with pretending religionist.   The harassment of Roman soldiers.  He tolerated the insults, the spittle, even the thorns and nails to give us an example.  He could have called 120,000 angels to defend himself.  Just one angel, one night, outside Jerusalem, killed 265,000 invading soldiers.  After all, he was the son of God, he was with the Father when he chose to bring somethingness from nothingness.  Just think, he knew my name/chose me, before the very foundation of the earth.  He knew how the 160,000 soldiers of America would be buried on foreign soil defending your rights.  He knew about the thousands buried at Arlington, those who have gone down in ship.  He knows about the hundreds of Christian missionaries who have gone across the world proclaiming the gospel message of redemption. 

Modernistic, mostly unsaved pastors/seminaries have tried and failed browsing Madison Avenue and the world to bring the gospel message down to the fairy tale of Santa Clause.  The pretenders know their reality.  The soul which never dies does not lie to them.  Pew warmers, pastors, politicians who have spent their lives browsing and pretending know the direction in which they are heading because God cannot lie.  The most blessed, born again, saved by grace, faith plus nothing Christian.  Eternal life has already begun with us and we can well tolerate all the indignities our families, associates, neighbors, those who rule over us, can throw our way.  We have bought, we have paid the price, because we KNOW the price that has been paid for us.  The thing I ask is that you learn to forgive those around who just "tolerate" you because you know the one who has tolerated all your rotten sins.   This old, blind, committed, concerned, convinced Christian, only one message, I have failed HIM many times, but HE has never failed me. 

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

 (Psalam 63:3)

On this Black Friday, when the  unsaved/pagans of our Country are knocking one another down trying to get "things", remember that the greatest gift known to the mind of man, is free.