Christmas is many people’s favorite holiday for lots of reasons: decorations, parties, family, and gifts! There’s nothing like surprising our children with just the right gift to show them how much we love them. What about the gift God gave to the world? The gift of His son.
When Jesus showed up on earth as a baby, the angels proclaimed, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11).
The truth is that there was an even greater gift than His arrival on that night; there’s a wonderful message of hope that He gave us that we get to share with the world, a gift that changes lives. Hebrews 9:14, “Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered (gave) himself to God as a perfect sacrifice (gift) for our sins."
His gift was given sacrificially, completely, and willingly for us. God wanted to give this gift – even though it cost him so much. 1 Peter 1:18–19 reminds us that we “weren’t redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
Have you ever given a gift that you knew was exactly what the other person wanted? A perfect gift, that would bring joy to the recipient. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Jesus is that perfect gift we need, whether we realize it or not!
As we celebrate a favorite time of year for most of us, consider how to reflect on the “reason for the season.” God has modeled for us the perfect gift giver. When it comes to our gifts, let us focus on being selfless, genuine, and excited about being givers.
We have a wonderful gift to share with people, and they need it desperately. Jesus gave us comfort that being a giver like God would come with wonderful blessings to everyone involved, (especially when we are genuine, selfless, and excited about it). Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
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