1 out of every 52 shopper’s carries something out of the supermarket that they did not paid for. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 4 million people are caught shoplifting every year. A new hotel in Nashville reported that in their first 10 months of operation, they lost 38,000 spoons, 18,000 towels, 355 silver coffee pots, 1,500 silver finger bowls and 100 Bibles to theft!

The 8th Commandment says, "You shall not steal."

It is God’s job to do the calling! It is our job to answer that call!

DON’T STEAL! GET A JOB!

Contrary to popular belief, work is not a curse! Work is a means, ordained by God Himself, whereby people can obtain the resources that they need to function in this world. 2nd Thessalonians 3:10 says, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

One evening, a man saw his neighbor, a famous author, carrying coal into his house. The neighbor told him that it was undignified for a man of his social standing to be seen carrying coal. The famous author replied, "Any man who is ashamed to carry his own coal deserves to sit all winter by an empty fireplace.”

Ephesians 4:28 says, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands…”

Employee theft costs companies somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 billion a year. People steal from their employer by:
1 taking things home
2 selling company items and then pocketing the money,
3 taking kickbacks
4 falsifying time records
5 and wasting time while on the job

Stealing cripples our Christian witness whether we get caught or not – because we are always caught by the One who sees everything we do at all times. Our light doesn’t seem to shine as brightly when we have un-confessed “secrets” in our closet that only God knows about!

Christians are called to live ethically pure lives! Colossians 3:23 is a sure fired way to catch the attention of your co-workers that don’t know Jesus as their Savior or as their Lord. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men.”

As An Employer, when employees are underpaid, over worked and treated poorly, this too is a form of stealing!

In addition, if we have stolen something, we are to make it right! Ezekiel 33:14-15 says this, “And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right…(returning) what he has stolen…he will surely live…”

We are to practice restitution to those we have wronged. We are to make it right, whatever the cost!

IF YOU ARE GOING TO STEAL SOMETHING, STEAL THE DEVIL’S JOY! Take a look at this video! This guy has still not been found!

Far too often, commotion is mixed up with chaos. Chaos is uncontrolled confusion. Commotion is excitement with a purpose.

If Santa at the mall can create commotion or excitement with a purpose then surely we as Christians -- concentrating on the true meaning of Christmas and things above -- can create a little commotion ourselves!

The birth of Jesus was a miracle. A virgin girl came up pregnant. The Creator came down from off His throne on high and pitched His tent in our neighborhood. Now folks, it was a big deal when man walked on the moon. However, it was a much bigger deal when Jesus walked on the earth.

God took time out of His busy schedule to give us the time of day.

That is what all the commotion should be about! Not about Bowl Games, but about God with us!

Matthew 2:1 tells us that, “…Jesus was born in Bethlehem…”

If that doesn’t create a major Christmas Commotion in your home then your Commotion Creator is Crusty!

....Jesus wasn't born up on a hill where nobody could get to Him.
....Jesus wasn't born behind a gated community.
....Jesus was born right out in the open where anybody could come and see Him, know Him and have a relationship with Him.

Oh the Commotion that Christians should be creating all because our Caring Father Came to us on Christmas Day so that we could have a Relationship Christ! Church, let’s cause a little Commotion so that the Crowd will Come and Check out our Christ!

Mr. Grinch, steal our X-Mas!

We must Coach the Crowd About Christmas!

To coach is to instruct or to give knowledge to and the crowd is right outside those doors needing the instruction and the knowledge that we can provide through Christ!

The big question is: What are we coaching during this Christmas Season?

Do our lives scream out to the crowd with great conviction that Christmas is all about setting our minds and our hearts on things above!

What about the crowd that many of us call our families? It does get a little crowded when the gang is all there!

So many people, work so hard, at making Santa Clause seem real to their children and to their grand children in hopes that they might believe in him. I have no problem with that. I was quite the Chris Cringle fan myself back in the day!

However, are we working just as diligently to make our faith seem real to our children and to our grand children in hopes that they might grow up and believe in Jesus?

The crowd out there and the crowd in here and the crowd around your Christmas table need to know that Christ and Chris Cringle both have their place during the Christmas Season and that Christ is just a “wee bit” more important than the other!

Romans 10:17 tells us that, "faith comes from hearing the message…”

Let’s consecrate and dedicate our minds, hearts and energies -- over the next few days – to passing on a faith that moves mountains and not just a fuss that only magnifies the mistletoe.

Mr. Grinch, steal our X-Mas!

Colossians 3:1 and 2 says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…Set your minds on things above, not on earthy things.”

I love the Christmas Classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Every year, my heart breaks as the Grinch slithers through every home down in “Hooville” on Christmas Eve stealing the presents, the decorations and the food. The Grinch actually believed in his tiny, cold and little heart that he could prevent Christmas from coming. However, as he arrogantly sat on the top of the tallest mountain in, “Hooville” perched on all of the “things” that he had taken, a strange thing happened.

Christmas still came!

All the “hoos” down in, “Hooville,” still celebrated Christmas anyway in spite of the fact that all of their “stuff” – all of their earthly things -- all of the things of X-mas had been taken away from them!

The Grinch didn’t steal Christmas! The Grinch stole X-mas!

Mr. Grinch – Please come and steal X-mas from us this year!

Truth, be told, it might do some of our families a little good this Holiday Season for the Grinch to come and slither his way through our homes -- stealing our earthly things – things that keep Christ out of our Christmas!

There is no better act of giving than one that you get no credit for and that is completely selfless. I just heard a story on the news about one person paying for another person's Starbuck coffee in the drive-thru which lead to a domino effect where the next car followed suit...100 cars paid for the car behind them!

Giving is contagious.

Joseph could have harshly put the hammer down in regards to Mary and her surprise pregnancy. However, he chose Mercy for Mary over, “Jewish Justice.”

That’s Consideration!

Why is consideration an important weapon in our arsenal?

Are you considerate?

Look at Matthew 1:19 with me, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”

This is the picture of a man who was full of consideration -- the kind of consideration that comes straight from God and is used by God to change the world.

Why is consideration capable of changing the world?

One of the most important rules for church growth is this: providing a considerate environment for new people to come into.

Being selected to be the “Daddy on Earth” to Jesus was not small potatoes. God knew that whoever He chose would have to be responsive to His direction!

What is your definition of responsive? How do you – or have you -- responded to God’s direction in the past?

God’s perfect choice was Joseph.

When instructed by an angel to take Mary as His wife in Matthew 1:24, “…Joseph woke up, (and) did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him...”

Is their power in just doing what God commands us to do? How do we often respond to God’s commands?

Doing what God had asked Joseph to do was a little risky for a Jewish male in Biblical Times. During that time period, a marital engagement was a solemn contract between two individuals and to a greater extent, between two families. The engagement lasted for at least a year before the couple was actually married.

This commitment was taken very seriously by the Jews. Joseph knew that he had been faithful to his part of the engagement agreement. He had experienced no sexual union with Mary or any other women. However, much to his dismay, Mary is found to be with child. Joseph would have been well within his legal rights to demand that Mary be treated as an adulteress. However, Joseph proved himself to be responsive to the voice of God and obeyed God’s command to take Mary as his wife.

I just wonder, if God came looking tonight for an earthly father, or mother, or grandparent, or uncle, or aunt for His son Jesus, would He find you responsive enough to His direction to do the job?

Here is a small list on how to confuse Santa Claus this year:

...Instead of milk and cookies, leave him a salad, and a note explaining that you think he could stand to lose a few pounds.

...Leave him a note, explaining that you've gone away for the holidays and ask him if he would mind watering your plants.

...Keep an angry bull in your living room. If you think a bull goes crazy when he sees a little red cape, wait until he sees that big, red Santa suit!
...Leave a plate filled with cookies and a glass of milk on the table with a note that says, "For the Tooth Fairy."

...Leave another plate on the table with half a stale cookie on it and a few drops of skim milk in a dirty glass with a note that says, "For Santa."

There are many things in this life that cause confusion.

We often become confused when we run, run, run and try to think correctly and clearly while we run, run, run! It’s like walking and chewing gum at the same time!

The truth is this: we all have to learn how to live a fast paced life and still think the right way while we are running!

The Church’s #1 job is to imagine! We must not loose sight of how robust (not awesome) but robust our God is in the midst of life and its chaos!

Somehow, we must run and not let the magic die!

What Season was Jesus born in?

Shepherds usually had their flocks in the field during the spring. However, the Shepherds in the Christmas story were tending the Temple flock used for special Jewish ceremonies. These sheep were usually in the field during winter.

So, it stands to reason that Jesus was born in the winter time.

I believe that God chose winter on purpose!

Back then, during the winter months, things slowed down. God chose a slow time on purpose so that man could reflect on the race they were in and the challenges they would face along the way! Obviously, in this day and age, Christmas time has hurried up a little in regards to its pace!

Some miss out on the slowness that God had originally provided leaving them no time to think, reflect and find internal fortitude!

A woman brought her 4-month-old baby to visit her neighbor. The baby began to fuss soon after they arrived. The 5-year-old son of the neighbor said, "Where did you get him?" "He was sent from Heaven," the mother replied.As the infant continued to cry and yell, the little boy said, “I bet I know why he was sent from Heaven. God wanted it quiet up there!"

Folks -- God doesn’t want it quiet up there.

Actually, God wants it a little quieter down here so that we can focus in on finishing what we’ve started – imagining what our robust God can accomplish through a bunch of people who are thinking clearly -- though a bunch of people who refuse to let the magic die!