Christmas is a wonderful time of year, however, it can also be a stressful and overwhelming time when we lose focus. As we were reminded this past week during the kids Christmas program and our study of Romans, Jesus is the focus and foundation. He is the reason we can celebrate at all.
While most of us know this and acknowledge the truth that Jesus is the focal point of Christmas, we can get lost in the distractions and desires for our own comfort and ease.
The people of Israel give us an example of how our own hearts work. God saved them from oppression and slavery in Egypt and promised them a prosperous land of their own. They would go from slaves who owned nothing to living in a land flowing with milk and honey. They would own their own homes and livestock. They all liked this idea and were excited at the prospect; however, they were not willing to endure the hardship it would take to reach the promised land. They did not go directly from Egypt to prosperity; they had a journey that would take faith and involve hardship and trials. There were no convenience stores or well-stocked rest stops between Egypt and their final destination. They had to travel the wilderness and had to trust that the Lord would lead them correctly and provide the water and food they needed to survive the journey.
God sent Moses to lead the people and to communicate His word to them. Yet Stephen recounts for us how the Israelites responded to Moses:
This is the one (Moses) who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, — Acts 7:38-39
They refused to listen to Moses when things got tough. When he did not immediately give them what they wanted, they thrust him aside and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. When faced with hardship, they turned back to Egypt rather than turning to God. Their response to hardship showed that their hearts desired their own comfort more than anything else. They often complained to Moses that they had enough food to eat in Egypt, that they were full. In short, even though they were enslaved, they were comfortable. God offered freedom, but that freedom would require walking by faith through uncertainty and hardship. Yet when faced with the hardships and faith required to follow God, many of them wanted to go back to slavery. They wanted to go back to oppression because they knew what to expect.
It can be easy to read this account of the Israelites and look down on them. We can think that we would never do anything like that, yet God recorded these events to be an example for us. While we would like to think we would be way different, when we are honest, we are very much like the Israelites in the wilderness. God has promised eternal abundant life to all who place their faith in Christ. We have the sure hope of heaven before us. However, how many times have we faced difficult times and hardships and longed to go back to life before we knew what God wanted from us? How many times have we been tempted to pretend we don’t know God’s commands for us. When we let these thoughts in and let them linger, we are thrusting aside God’s Word just like the Israelites rejected Moses. When we think like this, we are putting our own comfort above what Christ has promised. Walking by faith and following Christ will not be easy, but the reward of following Him is far greater than anything the world can offer.
As we go through this season, may we keep our eyes fixed on Christ. May we walk in the freedom He gives rather than turn back towards the sin that once enslaved us.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1
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