"You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town."

Nearly every child in America grew up hearing tales of Santa Claus, and each story was nearly identical. Santa Claus is a man who lives in the very top of the world, the North Pole, and brings gifts to children around the world who are on the "Nice" list. In contrast, children who don't obey the rules of their parents and don't do good things get placed on the "Naughty" list and receive nothing but coal. Parents like to use Santa Claus as a way to get their kids to do the things they want. The closer it gets to December, the more you hear comments such as "Santa is watching!" and "No, don't do that, you don't want to be on the "Naughty" list, do you? "

There's nothing wrong with the idea of Santa Claus, because there's nothing wrong with teaching kids that good behavior gets rewarded. But, too many people like to think of God as Santa Claus.

Some people like to think that God is nothing more than a gift giver, and that doing enough good to out way your bad is enough to be on His "Nice" list. But, that isn't how it works. Not at all.

As stated in James 2:18, "But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds,and I will show you my faith by my deeds. The entire passage where this scripture is found explains that you cannot have faith without good deeds, and vice versa. Meaning, doing good things in your life isn't enough to be welcomed into God's holy house, to receive the ultimate gift, eternity with him.

Unlike Santa Claus, you can't except to do a good deed every now and then and be welcomed into Heaven. To get on God's "Nice" list, you have to have faith in Him. You have to dedicate your life to Him and believe in your heart that your love for Him is stronger than the love for the gifts He gives. Unlike Santa Claus, God doesn't judge us on a scale, he doesn't decide whether we have a greater good or greater bad within us, because if that was the case, our sinful nature would make that scale completely tip over for the worst. Instead, God sent His son to be our ticket on the greatest "Nice" list that could ever be created.

So, remember, God is always watching, and He wants so much more than your good deeds. He wants your dedication and love to Him. By giving Him just that, you'll receive a gift greater than any one Santa Claus can leave under your tree on Christmas.