rom churches to shopping malls everyone seems to be getting into the spirit of Christmas. We've heard the reports of good retail sales and seen the pictures of frantic shoppers making their harried rounds going for the items they must have this season. It's all about the gifts. And it's all about The Gift. We are ready to give to others this time of year. We are also ready to remember that we have received the "Greatest Gift" from God.

It is not difficult to get in the spirit of such a positive outpouring of universal good will. The majority of people are willing to receive something for free. This makes accepting God's gift of the baby in the manger a good thing, and desirable. We like free stuff. It is easy to like babies; they're cute and innocent. This makes drawing a crowd for Christmas easy, and deceptive.

Jesus encountered many people who wanted gifts. Some wanted to be healed. Others wanted to be fed, while others just wanted to watch the spectacle. It is easy to draw a crowd. Jesus even had to leave several times to get away from them. Jesus never planned to draw a big crowd, they came to Him. He taught in Luke 14 and other places that there are huge differences between being in the crowd and being a real disciple.

At Hillside Christian Church last Sunday we looked at the Luke 14 passage and studied Jesus' own words. He said without doing three specific things it is impossible to be His disciple. We must be willing to surrender our relationships, our life's goals and dreams, and all our material belongings. There are many willing to accept God's gift and they make up the majority of the crowd. True disciples are a different breed all together. They have learned the joy of full surrender to a loving Heavenly Father who only has the best for them now and through eternity. We have to be the ones to assess our real relationship with the Lord. Are we spectators, or true followers of Jesus Christ? Are we seeking the gifts or seeking the Savior? Only you can know if you are carrying your own cross and surrendering your everything to Jesus. It is the most important distinction to be made, and we have to make it.

We are excited to start our 40-day study of the "Purpose Driven Life" in conjunction with our Wednesday night Bible study. The book is powerful and the scriptures used with it are life changing. We absolutely can know "why we are here". God has always been willing to show us through His Word. You are invited to join us in this Christian life adventure with the Lord. The study is beginning this week.