This word is submitted by Teresa Seputis [ts@xc.org]

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                   The Truth About Christmas

So many of My own don't understand the truth about Christmas. They see
Me as coming to them as a babe, and not as the Lord of all creation.
They think of Me as a small, weak and vulnerable infant; they do not
remember that I came with a specific purpose in mind.  They celebrate
My birthday as they would celebrate a relative's birthday instead of
celebrating what I came to accomplish for them.

Do not be like them.  Remind yourself of Who I am and of what I came
to do for you.  Then be grateful to Me for that.

Yes, it is true that I gave Myself as a gift to you. I left My throne
and I came to live among You and to dwell in Your midst. But I did not
come to socialize and make friends with you, I came to rescue you from
certain death and destruction.  I came to break the power of sin, that
it no longer separate you from your God.  I came to destroy the power
of sickness and disease off of My people. I came to break the yoke of
oppression and to break the power of condemnation off of your lives.
I came to set you free, so that your might enter into My presence and
worship Me.

You were a slave and the devil was your master. I came and I purchased
you at a great cost to Myself. Now you are Mine.  Yes, you are greatly
loved and you are secure in Me, but I still expect you to honor and
obey Me.  I expect you to work with Me to accomplish My purposes on
this earth. That is why I have appointed you as My witnesses and that
is why I have tasked you to share the good news of the gospel will all
mankind.

I don't care whether or not you decorate your homes to remind yourself
of My coming. I don't care if you send cards to one another or give gifts
to each other to celebrate the gift of My coming to save you. Do or do not
do those things as you please.  However, I do care very much that you
commit yourself to My Lordship, that you purpose in your heart to honor
and obey Me, and then that you walk that out in your everyday lives.  I
want you to give Me honor and priority in your life--not just at Christmas
but all year long.

I came on this earth to accomplish My Father's purposes, and I still
desire to do that here on earth today.  Yes, I have died for your sins,
risen from the dead and ascended back to My Father in Heaven. But I am
still active in doing My Father's will here on earth.  Now I work through
you, My people, for you are My body. You are My hands and feet, and I
desire to work through to say what My Father is saying and to do what
My Father is doing.  I require that each member of My body to be fully
committed to Me, prepared to obey Me without question or hesitancy as I
go about doing what My Father is doing here on the earth today.

When you celebrate My coming, celebrate the purpose for which I came and
celebrate what I accomplished for you through My death and resurrection.
I do want you to be grateful to Me for coming to earth and for redeeming
you.  But I also want you to be mindful of precisely what I did for you.
I want you to take on to yourself the same purpose that I had when I
came--to do what My Father is doing and to say what He is saying, so that
the kingdom of God might advance. I want to work through you, and I need
you to fully commit to obey Me.  I need you to do whatever I ask you to
do without questioning Me or wavering.  Submit to Me and allow to work
through you to accomplish My Father's purpose here on earth.

If you would like to give me a gift for My "birthday," there is one gift
that I desire of you.  I want you to give yourself completely and totally
to Me, just as I gave Myself to you. I want you to present yourself to
me and to make a serious and intentional commitment to My Lordship.
Then I want you to walk it out by cheerfully obeying whatever I command
you to do, obeying Me because you love Me.

That is that I want from you for Christmas and for every day-your
unquestioning obedience from a heart of love for Me.  Are you willing to
give that to Me?