What if Jesus Hadn't Been Born?

Have you considered what the world would be like if Jesus hadn't been born? We Christians certainly aren't perfect and we have some unfortunate events associated with our history like slavery and the crusades. But because of followers of Christ, many wonderful things have happened in our world.

Many of the world's great scientific discoveries were made by Christians. A large number of hospitals have been built by Christians. Education has been impacted tremendously. All of our nation's first colleges and universities were founded on Christan principles to prepare students for the ministry - places like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown and many others.

The International Red Cross has now become secularized, but look at the good that has been accomplished for many years by this great organization. Take a look also at their logo which still represents the cross of Jesus Christ. Most disaster relief efforts come from Christians and Christian nations.

If Jesus hadn't been born, there would have been no Mother Teresa and no William Wilberforce. The world would have been a very cruel and heartless place.

C. S. Lewis said, "If Jesus had never been born, it would be always winter, but never Christmas."

I'm thankful that God chose to send Jesus to us. What an impact He has made on this world.

Wrestling a Gorilla

It takes perseverance and tenacity to be successful in life. We face many challenges in almost every area of our lives. It takes tenacity to graduate from school or to succeed in sports or to become an accomplished musician. When life gets tough, it's easy to give up.

John Maxwell said, "Being tenacious means giving all that you have, not more than you have...[and] quitting when the job is done, not when you're tired." I like the way Robert Strauss put it: "Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired - you quit when the gorilla is tired." Press on! Great rewards come to those who do.

How to Avoid a Nervous Breakdown

Dr. Karl Menninger was asked, "What would you advise a person to do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Most people expected him to reply, "Consult a psychiatrist," because that was his profession. Instead, Menninger replied, "Lock up your house, go across the railway tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person. Generous people are rarely mentally ill people."

Thanksgiving and Christmas are special holidays to Christians. They are a time to remember what God has done for us and to thank him for His blessings. They are also a time for us to give to others. You may have a tradition of giving to family members at Christmas, just as our family does. But we can also give in various ways to those outside our families.

Giving of our time and resources to help someone else in need, is not only Christ-like and pleasing to God, it is also good for us! When we help another person, we take the focus off of ourselves and our own problems. That reminds us of how blessed we are.

If you want to stay mentally healthy, and if you want to be like Jesus, be a generous person. There are needs all around us.