So, Santa Doesn't Really Do That, Then?

This post is a repeat from December 12, 2012.

This past weekend our daughter Emmie told our five-year-old granddaughter Emma that the present she had for her was the biggest present under the tree so far.  Immediately Emma had to rush into the living room to inspect the dimensions of all the presents.

"I saw it!  It is the biggest one, it's in the back, behind the tree!"  Emmie and I then causually entered into a conversation regarding our need to finish wrapping presents.  Emma brought that conversation to a dead stop with this question that was poised more as a statement:

"So, Santa doesn't really do that, then?"

Emmie and I just looked at each other and I explained to Emma that not all presents come from Santa, that in fact most presents come from other people who love you and want to give you a gift for Christmas.  Emma's disbelief about Santa was brought to my memory last night when I heard a preacher ask "The word believe can be tricky, can't it?"

Sometimes you may believe something, but not nearly enough to support it.  Take for example a political candidate.  You may believe in them enough to vote for that person, but you may not believe in them enough to put signs in your yard or stickers on your car.  You may not talk to others about them encouraging others to vote for them as well.

There are those who "believe" in the Lord Jesus to the point they believe He was a good man.  They may believe He did good things. But they don't believe in Him as Lord and Savior.  Some may even believe He was a prophet.  Many of those who heard Him speak and saw His miracles believed this. 

There were some who believed He did His works through the power of Satan.  These were the religious rulers of the day who could not accept that He was from God because He spoke against the very attitudes and actions of their hearts.

The Scriptures tell us that even the devils believe in Jesus, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble, But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:19,20), but theirs is not a belief that leads to salvation.

Then there were a very few who believed that He was the Son of God who was come to be the Savior of the world.  It was these very few men through whom the Gospel was sent to all the world after the Lord's resurrection.

What about us?  Is our belief a head belief?  Do we believe Jesus Christ to be a "good man", a "prophet"?  Or do we believe Him to be the living Son of God, the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world?"  Do we each have a heart-belief?

Make no mistake, there is coming a day when  every single knee shall bow and every single tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Some will do so with the joyful heart of a believer.  Some will do so with the broken heart of one who realizes they should have believed.

Emma may wonder if Santa really "does that".  There is no wondering about Jesus.  He is, He does and He will eternally do so.

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, 

and given Him a name which is above every name:  

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, 

and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father." 

Philippians 2:9-11