Conflict Can Kill

Conflict can kill! These two deer fought to the very end. One survived to drag the dead body of the other for a time before succumbing as well. This is the harsh reality of nature, fascinating, wondrous, cruel and startling. Tragically, I see people that get embroiled in conflicts all the time. They may not spear each other, but their looks can be like daggers.

Consider these words from James: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” For as ugly as nature can be nothing compares to the ugliness of human conflict. You could look at wars for an example, but inner personal conflicts are just as bad.

A person doesn’t normally think of deer as violent creatures. You know, Bambi, Rudolph & his friends they are just sweet. We don’t think of conflict at Christmas either until you go shopping and someone cuts into line at the store check out.

Oh for the true meaning of Christmas! Don’t forget Herod killed those babies, and Jesus grew up to die on a cross. Violence is as much a part of Christmas as peace on earth and good will towards men. It is the very reason there must be a Christmas. Men were in a violent conflict with God. He held the upper hand, and chose to send His Son to suffer the violence for our peace. Locked in conflict He drug our sins with him to a death of agony. There He freed us from shame.

“The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.” Habakkuk 3:19

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Fresh Snow and Christmas

Someone decorated the inside of the church sanctuary late Saturday afternoon for Sunday. It was the first Sunday of Advent. It didn’t seem much like Christmas. Then on the drive to church on Sunday the snow began to fall. The dusting over the parking lot and on the roof of the church changed the appearance of everything. Suddenly everyone was much more in the mood for Christmas. The look of snow did a lot.

I was thinking snow really doesn’t have a lot to do with the real Christmas as much as we love its decorative affect. It makes us think Christmas, but was really added much after the fact. Some times an association gets in the way of us really understanding. You might not like to think about needles, but sometimes a shot from the doctor is of critical value. You can’t let the association of needles with pain distract you from the real value of the medicine.

Another possible illustration is religious trappings. Church buildings, religious talk, the pompous pious, and other stuff associated with Christianity can distract us from the real person of Jesus. Now I love God’s people, but sometimes they can distract us from the original story of forgiveness done by Him on a cross of shame. All the padded pews, golden crosses, stained glass windows, and religious trappings can be wonderfully beneficial, but they best not take our focus from the Christ who born in lowly Bethlehem died on lonely Calvary. All the decorations are to beautify, but the real foundation is the substance of God’s pardon to a hell deserving people.

“Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:17).

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