Are we beyond redemption and Salvation?

I clicked on to CNN news site early this morning and what caught my eye was the title "Merry Wax-mas" beside a tiny thumbnail picture showing a typical Christmas nativity of the birth of Christ in the manger.

When I clicked on the site and the whole article popped up together with an enlarged version of the picture, and I was totally shocked! This is what the picture showed: Joseph (David Beckham), Victoria Becham (Virgin Mary), the Angel (Kylie Minogue), the Three Wise Men (Tony Blair, George Bush, the Duke of Edinburgh), and the Shepards (Samuel Jackson, Hugh Grant and Graham Norton). What is happening here? How could people just make a joke and play around with the sacred meanings and depictions of Christ?

*Sigh* Not only churches all over the world is shocked by this, I'm sure the rest of the world who respects our Sovereign God and Christ would be totally disgusted too. It's been playing in my head the whole morning as I was driving to work that the world is truly a fallen place, where Satan emulates God by being omnipotent everywhere he goes. Completely pulling the veil of sin over many a unsuspecting being - the birth of sin comes in thoughts, and then actions, then eternal death.

It sounds morbid in this sense, but being brought up ingrained and grounded with the word of God, my beliefs in eternal life after death is unquestionable. My understanding of sins are profound, and the do of 'good' is a must. Here is a poem that I found that in some ways depiect that we are given a choice to obey God, and that we have to help ourselves in order to be with Christ (taken from the book of Hebrews):

"Ask and it shall be given unto you,Seek and you shall find."

As you submit to Christ in all you do,

He’ll cleanse your heart and mind

Satisfying your hungry soul each day

With manna from above,

Revealing to you His will and way,

And His unchanging love.

"Knock and it shall be opened unto you"

-God’s grace and power receive.

He’ll give you joy and life anew,

And all your fears relieve.

As you stand on firm foundation

- Christ, the solid Rock,

There’s assurance of salvation,

And blessings when you knock.

So, "Ask and it shall be given unto you,

Seek and you shall find."

His peace will, surely flood your soul,

And heal your troubled mind."

God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him"(Heb.11:6)

There is light in the Word of God. The road to salvation is never easy, though believing in Christ, who died on the cross for us, He has already erased our sins. So profoundly termed in a simple way as in the poem intergrated with explanations. God's intevening powers are real, because HE is a living God.

Throughout the world, irregardless of centuries, time and people, Satan tries to intervene God's works. The tests and games of life begins. Man is not spared, not even the holliest of Christian Leaders' and their family's lives, or marriages vowed under God's name, faithful and loyal laymen in church.

The world has resigned to understanding the reject of Christiandom in many sectors and it's people due to all these downfalls of God's soldiers. Instead of being 'full' of Christ, they are seen as 'Fools' for Christ... sometimes, just 'Contradictory Fools'.

It is already a given that the moment Adam took a bite of the apple that Eve gave him, the fall of the man has begun. Mr. Serpent, the Devil, is well-versed with the weaknesses of mankind, dabbling with their vulnerability and tempting them to the ends of the earth, completely going head-on and full-force with human weakness.

How long more, Oh God, will such mockery go on? That piece of CNN news is indirectly, a wake-up call for all Christian brothers and sisters to pray and to stand up proud in being Christians. On the other hand, not all celebrities would be depicted in such nativity tableu - I wonder why didn't they put Mel Gibson in there? Perhaps he made 'the Passion of the Christ'? Gibson was completely unashamed with his dedication to God, and as the 3rd most powerful entertainer in Hollywood, he will not play 'safe' to please the world... he went straight on to Gospel. That's what I call admirable! Click on this to read about a really interesting interview on all the cast members and the miracles that occurred during the filming of 'the Passion of Christ'.

James Claviezel, who took up the role of 'Jesus', was unafraid of losing his career... he wasn't there for the glory in projecting 'Jesus', but he just wanted the world to see and understand Christ's sacrifices for mankind. The movie features Christ's last 12 hours before He was crucified. The movie got the world buzzing, Christians and non-Christians crying, completely feeling the pain. Miracles happened to cast members for that movie, as in God's reward in many ways. The stark comparison to this are of those to horror and evil movies, in where cast members eventually lose their minds and have bad omens happening to them - even the directors - the scriptwriters etc. What other prove does the world need, to know and come to accept that Christ is the living God?

I know it's almost fictitious, and whoever who is reading my blog, and has come this far probably thinks me as a fanatic of some kind. Like Gibson, who has testimonies on God's intervention in his life when there is almost no hope, I too, have my own testimonies. There are miracles, though they are little ones, but they marked life-changing experiences in my map of life.

A simple example is that when I'm completely lost in the ways of the world, and I become devastated beyond reasoning, Satan completely beats me to making me feel unworthy of everything in the world... making me forget to pray, forget to look into the light - just plain forgetful of God's grace and seeking for God to intervene. Out of the blue, before I snap, I either see something, or read something, or someone just walk up to me to talk about prayers and having God in one's life. I snap out of things in no time, kneel down on my knees and start praying. There have been, and will always be insurmountable cases that God has and will intervene in my life, where the realisation of sins will be thwarted from taking form.

Prayers are the answer in giving us inner peace and allowing God to bless us with understanding, knowledge and the patience to deal with such mockery. As stated in Hebrew: God is the rewarder of those who dilligently seek him. I believe in this, right down to my very pit of my heart and soul, my mind doesn't even reject it. I've witnessed this, and can give many testimonies to miraculous intevention of God in not only my life, but many others' as well.

The world is neither beyond redemption, nor Salvation. Amongst many other people, and myself, as imperfect as we are, we found the perfection in Christ, who made us worthy of love, and all the goodness of peace, grace, patience and so forth. Have you given Christ a chance to be in your life of late? The choice was mine to take up, mockery or no mockery, the living God is within me... hence, it's yours too - afterall, Salvation is free.