Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
With Christmas just a few weeks away, everyone is rushing here and there to make sure that the perfect gifts have been selected for the ones we love. We won’t breathe easy until the last gift is opened and faces display the pleasure (or displeasure) of their gifts.
Christmas is about giving because God gave His best, His only Son. The gift He gave satisfies the needs of every person who has ever taken a breath of life. This gift takes an empty soul that has been defeated by the cares, burdens and sins of this life and fills it with purpose and determination to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ.
The gifts we give will grow old, they will lose their usefulness and will be thrown away with all the other things we call “treasures”. No longer of value, they will be cast aside and soon forgotten, replaced by newer, shinier gifts that our hearts long for.
Now compare God’s gift to the things we place of great value and you will see that there is no comparison.
When you first receive the gift of God, His Son, as your Savior, you receive eternal life and a home in Heaven at that very moment. But as you make this gift a part of your very life and existence, other gifts become evident.
His Word says to draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. When we choose to take the Gift of God, Jesus, and make Him a part of our walk, talk, and even our very personality, He will become a part of our very existence and He will impart to us other gifts of His spirit. First Corinthians 12 tells us the manifestation of His Spirit for the common good is given to one the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another gifts of healing, to another the effecting of miracles, to another prophecy and to another distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues. In Galatians 5 we are told the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. WHAT A GIFT!!! It just keeps on giving.
God’s gift first gives us the promise of eternal life the minute we claim it as our own. God’s gift of Jesus to the world is the gift that keeps on giving. It only grows sweeter and of greater value as the years go by.
Father, for those who have not yet accepted the gift that you gave to the world over 2000 years ago in the form of your only begotten Son, Jesus, let this be their best Christmas ever by saying “yes” to this priceless gift. Amen
