This week billions of Christians worldwide will celebrate the birth of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because there was no room at any inn for Mary and Joseph, Jesus was born in a manger meant to be a trough for livestock.
It’s amazing that Jesus, the Prince of Peace who has impacted the entire world, was born in such a humble setting.
Throughout His ministry Jesus declared the greatest commandment was to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and mind; the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.”
Those who believe are given the gift of eternal salvation. This does not require admittance into a country club that picks and chooses only those of a certain lineage – it’s available to all who repent of their sins and believe.
In Matthew 28:18 Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples of all people and all nations. Without cellphones, modern transportation, TV, or the Internet, Christianity spread to all seven continents, including many nations where people risk their lives to follow Jesus.
In 1 Corinthians 9:20-21 the apostle Paul explained his strategy of adapting to different groups to share the Gospel: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law, so as to win those not having the law.” This strategy is in line with Jesus’ commandment to make disciples of all people, regardless of race or ethnicity.
That leads me to the Black Lives Matter movement. They received significant financial support after the death of George Floyd, who deserved to be arrested but not to die. Our judicial system worked effectively as the police officer who placed a fatal chokehold on Floyd was convicted and imprisoned.
What was unacceptable was the ensuing rioting and looting that destroyed many local businesses, mostly owned by racial minorities and immigrants. Ironically, BLM was founded by people who openly admit to being trained Marxist organizers; they hate capitalism and are atheists whose goal is to destroy the nuclear family.
Certainly, black lives matter, but so do the lives of all humanity. Let us not succumb to political demagogues who favor one group over another for their own political advantage or out of a sense of personal guilt over their supposed “privilege.” This simply divides our nation and world.
All lives matter. The lives of Jews matter. Having been banished from their ancestral homeland 2,000 years ago, Jews have suffered throughout history; through Eastern Europe pogroms, the Spanish Inquisition, the Nazi Holocaust, and now the recent slaughter, beheading, and rape of over 1,200 Israeli Jews.
The lives of innocent Palestinians who truly desire peace matter (note I exclude barbaric Hamas terrorists, who are doing Satan’s work) The lives of all racial and ethnic groups matter.
The lives of prisoners who have truly repented of their sins matter.
The lives of unborn babies matter, despite the advocacy of many in America to allow abortions at any time during a pregnancy.
Indeed, the lives of 7 billion people on earth matter.
Jesus told his disciples in Luke 14 they must be willing to give up things that were dear to them, to bear a cross daily, and even to be hated by the world. Such a cross to bear resembles the nonsense going on at many of our colleges and universities today, with the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-America rhetoric and the intimidation of anyone who dares oppose this totalitarian bullying.
Jesus Christ is referred to as the Prince of Peace for a reason; because He restores every broken relationship, provides a well-ordered and balanced life, and offers the assurance of eternal life.
Let us not forget this as we celebrate Christmas. It’s nice to both give and receive gifts, but we must focus on the reason for the season and the real gift we are celebrating – the gift of eternal life – an eternal life that is available to all – which is exactly why, “all lives matter.”
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