Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Christmas Tree's Dirty Little Secret - #8154

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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Maybe it’s because we lived in the New York area so many years. Maybe it’s because our whole family is just a little psycho about Christmas. But I love to watch the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in Manhattan; that’s this week. They’ll build up to it with lots of Christmas music, too many commercials, and a big countdown. And suddenly as they pull the magic switch, America’s most famous Christmas tree will light up the night. Now, ours won’t be that big, but it will be covered with some beautiful decorations and bright lights. But none of that can mask the dirty little secret of every Christmas tree in the world.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft, and here’s the secret: the Christmas tree is decorated but it’s dead. Not long after Christmas Day, the lights and decorations will come off and the tree will be trashed. You know, that’s given me something to think about related to the spiritual condition of a whole lot of church folks. Jesus gave this unsettling picture of Judgment Day, ”Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform man miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly: ‘I never knew you. Away from Me.” (Matthew 7:21-23 ).

Judgment Day will reveal that there were some who knew about Jesus, but didn’t know Him, who had lots of Christianity, but missed Christ. They were spiritually decorated, but still spiritually dead. That’s why God says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5 ).

Today would be a really good day to be sure you belong to Him. I’d love to help you if you’d go to our website. A lot of people have been helped in making sure that they belong to Jesus at that website. It’s ALifeThatMatters.org because God put you here to live a life that matters.

This radio program references: Matthew 7:21-23 ; 2 Corinthians 13:5