God's Gift to Us


For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government
will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
—Isaiah 9:6

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be saved.
—John 3:17

When you're a child, Christmas is all about receiving gifts. In
December, your head is swimming with nothing but images of your favorite
toys. But the true message of Christmas is not the presents we give to
one another. The true meaning is the gift that God gave to us, His Son
Jesus Christ. During the next two days, I want to point out to you
three things about the gift God gave to us in that tiny manger in
Bethlehem.

The first thing we want to realize about God's gift to us is that it
came in simple wrapping. Some people will go to great lengths to wrap
presents beautifully. But God's gift came to us not in beautiful,
ornate wrapping, but in a dirty manger found in a cold cave in a
little-known town called Bethlehem. That's the beauty of the Christmas
event. Jesus took His place in a manger so that we might have a home in
heaven. The Savior was not wrapped in satin sheets, but in common rags.
There in a manger rested the greatest gift in the plainest of wrapping.


The second thing I want to point out about God's gift to us is that we
don't deserve it. Consider this: God gave us the ultimate gift of His
Son Jesus Christ while we were still sinning against Him (see Romans
5:8). We did nothing whatsoever to merit or deserve His gift. That is
the amazing truth of Christmas. Despite who we are, God sent His Son so
"that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life" (John 3:16 NKJV).

With Christmas just three days away, begin to prepare your heart for the
celebration of the birth of our Savior. Meditate on the fact that Jesus
was born to die so that we might live.

We celebrate Christmas in order to rejoice over God's most precious gift
to us. The birth of Jesus Christ is a gift from God that came in simple
wrapping, as well as a gift we don't deserve. But the gift of Christ
also explains His purpose for humankind. The gift of Christ was no
afterthought. Long before there was a stable in Bethlehem, before Adam
and Eve ever set eyes on each other, and even before there existed a
garden called Eden, God decided to send His Son Jesus Christ to die on
the cross for our sins. From the beginning, God knew humankind would
fall short of His glory. That is why the Scriptures proclaim that Jesus
Christ was slain from the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8).
God made a decision from the very beginning that Christ would come to
this earth to live and die and rise again from the dead. God's gift to
us proves His purpose to redeem us.

The gift of Jesus Christ is what Christmas is all about. Jesus came
near to us so we could come near to Him. Christmas is not about tinsel
or shopping or gifts under a tree. Christmas is about the gift God gave
on the tree where Christ died for our sins, giving us the gift of
eternal life. That is what He has accomplished. This is the gift He
extends. And if you receive it, you will experience the merriest
Christmas of all.