At Christmas time there was a man,
who looked so out of place.
As people rushed about him,
at a hurried sort of pace.
He stared at all the Christmas lights,
the tinsel everywhere.
The shopping center Santa Claus,
with children gathered near.
The mall was packed with shoppers,
who were going to and fro.
Some with smiles, some with frowns,
and some too tired to go.
They rested on benches,
or they hurried on their way.
To fight the crowds for purchases,
to carry home that day.
The music from the stereo,
was playing loud and clear.
Of Santa Claus and snowmen,
and funny nosed reindeer.
He heard the people talk about,
the good times on the way.
Of parties, fun and food galore,
and gift exchange that day.
I'd like to know what's going on,
the man was heard to say.
There seems to be some sort,
of celebration on the way.
And would you tell me who this is,
all dressed in red and white
And why are children asking *him*
about a special night.
The answer came in disbelief,
I can't believe my ear.
I can't believe you do not know,
That Christmas time is here.
The time when Santa comes around,
with gifts for boys and girls.
When they are asleep on Christmas Eve,
he leaves them books and toys.
The man you see in red and white,
is Santa Claus so sly.
The children love his joyful laugh,
and twinkle in his eye.
His gift pack is pulled along,
by very small reindeer.
As he flies quickly through the air,
while darting here and there.
The children learn of Santa Claus,
while they are still quite small.
When Christmas comes he is the most,
important one of all.
The stranger hung His head in shame,
He closed a nail pierced hand.
His body shook in disbelief,
He did not understand.
A shadow crossed his stricken face,
His voice was low but clear.
"After all these years they still don't know."
And Jesus shed a tear.
Fruit Bearing
Author Unknown To Me
I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5 What is fruit in a Christian? We know what fruit is in the natural world, and we know its uses, but what is fruit in the spiritual world? It cannot be merely Christian activities. It is true that well directed activities are fruits; but there is danger in these days, when work is so lauded, that we overlook another kind of fruit which is certainly as essential as the putting forth of consecrated energy. In nature, fruit is part of the branch itself, not something apart from it. There are spiritual fruits that are part of the life: growths into holiness and Christlikeness. Thus St. Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Very evidently these fruits are such as appear in the character itself. The aim of Christ's religion is not merely to make workers of us, to send us out to do good in the world, to fight against evil, to help the weak, and to minister to the sorrowing and the suffering. Its first aim is to make us good, to transform our character, to produce in us the likeness of Christ. Then we shall be ready to minister. While, therefore, we are to be fruitful in every good work, we are to seek also to be fruitful in the qualities of Christlike character.
In nature the tree's fruits feed the hunger of men. No tree consumes its own fruits; it drops them for those who come to gather them. This suggests that we should not be selfish in our fruit bearing. We should not seek the culture of our characters merely for our own sake. Our aim should be to provide something in our lives that will feed others and bless the world. All about us are hungry hearts. There are those who crave sympathy and love, those who yearn for comfort, those who desire to be saved. We are so to live that our lives shall yield bread for these.
Daily Smile:
My sister-in-law decided to go on a diet after a recent trip to the store with her grandson. They'd stopped in front of a pantyhose display, and, as she chose a package, he read out loud: "Q … U … E … E … N … S … I … Z … E.Grandma!" he exclaimed, "You wear the same size as our waterbed!"
No comments:
Post a Comment