The Gift of Christmas

This time of year, my living room is cluttered with wrapping paper, boxes, ribbons, and bows as I carefully wrap the presents I have purchased for my family and friends. Sitting beneath the bright, shiny twinkling lights of my Christmas tree, the pretty packages add to the anticipation of Christmas as I see them day after day. Every so often, my granddaughters will pull out one of the their gifts, give it a shake, hoping for a clue as to its contents. The joy on their faces is priceless!

I love Christmas! Every part of it! The hustle and bustle of shopping, the decorations on the houses, Christmas movies, and baking holiday treats. Unfortunately, it’s easy to become so consumed with all the shopping and preparations for Christmas that we lose our focus on what is the most precious gift of all!

Many of us would say the most wonderful gift of Christmas is Jesus, God’s beloved Son, and we would be right! John 3:16 tells us “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The gift of God’s love is indescribable! How do you put into words a love so deep, so rich, so forgiving, that it compelled God to sacrifice His only Son, so that you and I could have eternal life with Him forever in heaven? It cannot be done! God’s love is beyond description.

Jesus truly is the Christmas gift that God gave us. We did not earn it, nor did we deserve it, but God gave us His Son because He loves us with an everlasting love. Jeremiah wrote in chapter 31, verse 3, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us,” who came to dwell among us. John wrote, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” It is nearly impossible for me to imagine that God… the Creator of all… loved me so much that He came to live with me, and His Spirit dwells within me! What amazing love!

God’s love also provides us with another wonderful gift: an inheritance. We have an inheritance of God… a promise of something to come because we are in His family. That promised inheritance is eternal life. It is written in 1 John 5:11, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” Because Jesus is God’s Son, He can promise that one day those who have trusted Him as their personal Saviour will live with Him forever! Ephesians 1:11-12 states, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” That God’s great love for me would compel Him to prepare a place for me in eternity future is incomprehensible! O what love!

God’s Christmas gift doesn’t stop here! God didn’t send Jesus to be just a baby in a manger that we sing songs about during the Christmas season. Jesus is more than that baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, more than a child born of a virgin. He was born to be the Saviour of the world. He is the key part of God’s loving plan to redeem us. Jesus was born to be the ultimate sacrifice for us. He offered up His life on a cruel Roman cross, shedding His precious blood so that we could have forgiveness of our sins. Ephesians 1:7 refers to Jesus, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” It is through the forgiveness of my sins that I am born into God’s family. When I acknowledged that I was a sinner, and believed that Jesus, God’s Son, died on the cross for me and rose again three days later, I received forgiveness of my sins simply by asking Him to do so. It was not by anything that I had done to achieve this forgiveness by God; it was only by accepting the work of Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son as the only way that I could receive eternal forgiveness of my sins, and ultimately, eternal life in heaven! Anyone can have it, too! All you need to do is ask Jesus to forgive you and invite Him to be your Saviour. What an incredible gift!

God also gives us special abilities to use for Him. These gifts include teaching, singing, hospitality, cooking, building, technology skills… talents that are so diverse that it would take pages to list them all! Every one of us has a special talent that God has given us through His Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:4 records, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” Think of what you like to do that you do very well… that could very well be your talent from God! The Bible tells us that Christians are all part of the body of Christ, but we have different responsibilities, and not one is more important than another (Romans 12). By using our talents for God, we are able to serve Him, bringing glory to His name! In a way, His gift of love to us enables us to give back to Him!

So this Christmas season, remember that it’s more than the presents under the tree, more than the colorful decorations, more than the stocking hung by the chimney with care. It’s about the Son of God, sent by His loving Father to a needy people living in a world of sin. It’s about…

God’s love

Inheritance

Forgiveness of Sins

Talents

God’s love for you and me has resulted in Him giving us the most wonderful GIFT of all – His beloved Son, Jesus.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” – 2 Corinthians 9:15