Oh Christmas Tree...

Do I have any right to complain about anything? Or just complain period? No, I don't. The children of Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness because of their grumbling and complaining; in fact that whole generation died in the desert and never saw the promised land, even Moses was a victim of a patient-less heart.

Thinking about this objectively I find that the only thing I am promised by God is trials and tribulations (John 16:33) while living on this earth; foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of God had no place to lay His head, what makes me believe that I have any rights? I am a slave, slaves have no rights. An unprofitable servant is what I am, Luke 17:10. That is what Jesus said.

On the other side, I can complain all I want and it will not change anything; nothing at all. Complaining is pretty much like worrying, it doesn't accomplish anything; it doesn't make you grow, it doesn't make your hair grow, it doesn't help your eyes, doesn't make your teeth whiter and it will not help you lose weight, it only causes harm; it turns your hair white instead of your teeth, makes you grind your teeth and makes you fat and ugly; in fact, complaining is pretty much like worrying, they are almost the same in my dictionary, they are sisters, or little brothers if you will, maybe twins; there they go, complaint and worry holding hands, bitching about life together.

Oh oh; I said bitching; sorry. Bitching is a close relative of complaint and worry, so I had no choice; they go together through life; making life miserable for anyone who will let them; they are all part of the family of the discontent; and they live in a dark place; a place of turmoil and desperate want: the human heart.

But that is the way the heart is; the human heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; I have one of those; and guess what...., you do too. Watch your heart said Solomon, for out of it proceed the issues of life (Prov. 4:23); and what about Jesus, He is wiser than Solomon: Matthew 15:10-19 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."
But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."
And he said, "Are you also still without understanding?
Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

What an immense problem!! Do you see it? It is a dilemma for all humans, even Christians. See, you and I have a heart, deceitful above all things; and it is out of that heart that evil thoughts come from, as well as murder (southern California freeways, Target parking lot); adultery (check her/him out); sexual immorality (colorful websites; daytime soap operas, the Young and the Restless); theft (covet that new Mercedes); false witness (I didn't do it; and the boob job); slander (did you hear about so and so?); is that bad? Houston, we have a problem; I just got defiled when I used the b word; the first one, not the second one.

The things I don't want to do, those I do; the things I really want to do, those I don't; who can deliver me from this body of death? If you don't think like that, it might be an indication that you need to read your bible, if you are not a Christian, then it doesn't matter what you do; you are toast and you really don't have a problem. In fact, you think your heart is good; and all people are good inside.

But that is a lie; no one is good; no one seeks after God; this is Paul in Romans 3, quoting from the OT:"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." (there goes the b word again) "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Not one, what an indictment!! Everyone is guilty, period. Not even my grand kids are free of guilt, little sinners. I love those little sinners; I miss them little sinners.

So we stand powerless over the effects of our nature; step one....never mind; let me go back to what I was saying; complaining doesn't fix anything, and worrying doesn't either; you know what I mean, the bills, the insurance, the brakes on the car, the electric bill, your lack of husband, or wife; or your husband or wife; either way; the Christmas tree or the lack thereof; what will happen if we don't have a tree this year? Let's worry about that, or complain. Or b word it.

Will you be thinking about not having a tree ten years from now? I can almost hear it: "I know what it is to suffer need, our whole family suffered depression for months; it was devastating, we couldn't sleep for days into the new year; back in 2009 we couldn't afford 50 dollars for a tree; it was the most horrible Christmas of our lives; all our neighbors had theirs, all we had was a busket, we could see the lights through their windows; we tried not to stare; what a horrible nightmare of a Christmas, a tragedy indeed; it was like torture, I don't wish the lack of a tree on my worst enemy, it's just too cruel; it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God and be chastised that way; it's the electric company's fault."

And what about Christmas presents? Celebrate the birth of our Savior with no presents and no tree? Are you kidding me? What a horrible way to think; it's blasphemy! What kind of undeveloped third world hole did you crawl out of? You are not serious, are you? The kids will be traumatized for life; that's not even patriotic.

This year we will not be getting a tree; and the way things are going, we might not have presents either; should I complain or worry about that? I don't think so. I'll look at my neighbor's Christmas lights from my garage; he can spend the money on the electric bill; if I want to smell a pine all I have to do is walk about 25 yards and rub my hands on a branch; I might have to borrow my neighbor's little car pine deodorizer from his rear view mirror, or what about using Pinesol to clean the floor, that should do the trick.

Jeremiah was serious about trees:
Jeremiah 10:2-4 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

I will read the account of Jesus' birth in Luke chapter 2 and will have peace since God is pleased with me because of what He has done: Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

By the way, that is the correct translation, is not "good will towards men" as we read in the KJV; what does that mean? It means that the peace is directed toward those who believe, and how is it that they believe? God causes them to be born again, and then gives them faith; that is why God is pleased with them; that is what the bible teaches, that is what Jesus meant when He said that every plant that His heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up, so there.

Jesus was not born in December, not even in winter; nowhere in the bible does it say anything about putting a tree inside your house, or giving each other presents; those are all pagan rituals related to the ancient Saturnalia, or the winter solstice; the birth of the sun, Nimrod, etc.....all pagan festivities, in fact the early church was opposed to the practice; so I don't feel bad about the tree or the presents; I should be celebrating the birth of Jesus as a human being everyday, not once a year.

How many families do read the account of Jesus' birth on Christmas? I don't know, but that is a good question. It is on Luke chapter 2 by the way; did I mention that before?. As for this world goes, Christmas is not all about Jesus; in fact the world hates Him; and the world hates you and me too; they hate the fact that we don't complain, or do we? We shouldn't if we do, Philippians 2:14.

But we do; we complain and grumble, that is our nature; if we say that we do not grumble the truth is not in us, and we stand as liars, if we say that we have no sin we make God a liar and His word is not in us.

Ok, I just made all that up to feel better about not having a tree and complaining about it, couldn't help it, it sounds so spiritual. Trees are good, they bring the spirit of Christmas to the house, they look so cool when the lights of the house are off and the lights on the tree are on, they smell good, plus they make the ideal place to put the presents; have a nice Christmas.