"Mishandling Jesus"

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11

The other night I attended a Christmas play.  The children did a great job and it was a sweet program.  There were a couple of cute little fellows (very young) in the play.  For some reason one little guy in particular wanted to play with the "Baby Jesus" who was lying in the manger.  (Of course, the baby was a baby doll.) He would grab the doll and hold it just anyway he decided to.  A couple of times I noticed that he had the "baby" holding it upside down by the foot.  His "mishandling" of the "Baby Jesus" spoke something to my heart.  That is:  many people are mishandling Jesus.

The word mishandle means: to treat or deal with something roughly, manage wrongly or ignorantly, to treat carelessly.  I said many people are mishandling Jesus.  How?  When you don't give Him the reverence, respect and honor that He deserves you are mishandling Him.  When you take Him for granted, you are mishandling Him.  When all He is to you is a prayer to help you or get you out of a problem, then you are mishandling Him.  If you take Him for granted, if you take His name in vain, if you neglect Him, then you are mishandling Him.  If you say He is your Saviour, but you aren't following Him, you aren't surrendering to His will, you aren't following His commandments, you aren't spending time with Him in prayer and reading His word, if you are forsaking His house, then you are mishandling Him.  

If you are handling Him in any way other than one that places Him in His rightful place as God and the Lord of your life, then you are mishandling Him.  He is not a "baby doll" laying on a pile of hay.  He is not a Christmas story.  He is not just a helper when you are in trouble.  He is not a curse word.  He is not your servant or a Santa Claus that gives you your every desire and bows to your every whim.  If this is how you look at Jesus, then you are mishandling Him.  And if you are mishandling Him, you need to repent and start handling Him in a manner that is worthy of who He is.

Have a great day.  Stop mishandling Jesus and handle Him in a way that gives Him honor and glory.