Unopened Gift

Next week is the celebration of Christmas all across the world. Our home has a nice tree in our window, filled with lights and ornaments and under the tree are some brightly colored presents waiting to be opened. We have been shopping for all of the foods we will enjoy for several days during this most special time, and I have great anticipation of the upcoming meals. My daughter will be with us and that makes the celebration even better; Italians love family.

All this being said I wonder what most people see as the celebration of Christmas! I am a Bible believing Christian, and Jesus is the foundation of my belief. The Christ Child is the fulfillment of God’s promise to reconcile man and God with the promised Savior, the Messiah. Jesus is the unblemished lamb of sacrifice for all of our sins; something no act of man could accomplish. For the unbeliever this premise seems foolish, but to the Christian who has accepted and studied God’s Word, it is very believable.  

No one can force someone else to believe in Jesus, this is a decision that is strictly between God and the individual. Each of us know ourselves from within, and each of us know our own deepest sins, things we have told to no one; only the Creator shares that knowledge. Those sins are what separate us from Him, and only He can restore us to His righteousness through His Son, Jesus. God allows us to make the choice of accepting His Son, or walking away. This choice is an ETERNAL choice with rewards or consequences.

Other faiths ask for works by the believer to attain a relationship with God, or they believe an individual must be forced into certain belief systems, sometimes at the peril of death. In Christianity, all the “work” has been done by Jesus, in a free offer of grace from God.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”. The Babe in the straw bed was here for all of us, as the ultimate gift from God to pay for our sin; no person before or after could have done this.

I don’t know what you may have under your tree, there may be all types of jewelry or electronics, or toys of many kinds; maybe a fur coat, or even the keys to a new car; all of them will be greeted with all the proper OOOS and AHHHS; and that is a good thing!

There may be one gift that remains unopened during this special time, the gift of Jesus. Oddly, the whole reason for all of the celebration is Jesus, and He wants you to open His gift to us. Enjoy all of the food, the songs and the family time you get; don’t pass up the Greatest Gift, and it is totally free of charge!