The Gift from GOD to You,
The Christmas Present, if you will.
I love to see people happy; I like to crack jokes and see if I can bring a smile to someone. (Like I said it runs in the family my Uncle Dee and my Dad was like that too, even with Alzheimer’s he tried to play with people everywhere he went and to make them laugh.)
I also love to give things to people; I guess that why I love to preach so much, what better one can give to someone than Jesus’ message of salvation.
With that said I have learned the past few years that I am not a good receiver.
I truly would rather give than get.
Moreover, I do not know if I feel that I do not deserve the gifts as much as others, and they may need it and I should pass it on to them.
When we come to the Christmas season, I see a lot of Christian post on Facebook, and other outlets saying “Jesus is the reason for the Season”. I don’t want to take away from them pointing to Jesus rather than shopping, buying, wrapping, giving, and cooking, and eating, and all the lights, and trees, and the tinsel and bows.
But I believe if we ask God the Father, what’s the reason for the season?
He might just say, “YOU”.
Allow me to take a little freedom with a few verses that we know and love so well and change a few words, so we can see it a little better.
John 3:16 For God so loved YOU that He gave His only begotten Son, that if YOU believe in Him YOU would not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son to YOU to condemn YOU, but that YOU through Him might be saved.
Or to put it directly to you, read it this way.
For God so loved me that He gave His only begotten Son to me, that if I believe in Him, I would not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to me to condemn me, but that I through Him might be saved.
Are you getting the reason for the season? Is it YOU?
Isaiah said it this way without me changing a word.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; NKJV
Are you getting this? “Unto us” all of us!
Me, you, that dirty stinking sinner that you don’t want anything to do with, the cheat, the liar, the thief, the adulterer, the homosexual, the bigot, we need to see that “Unto us” covers all of them too.
Luke 2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. NKJV
Again, I didn’t have to change a word.
We have to get better at receiving but also sharing the story of His Son our Lord Jesus.
Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season, but look at the reason he came, so
He, some 33 1/2 years later on Calvary’s cross could say:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And Paul said:
Christ in Our Place
Romans 5:6-11 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 1 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. NKJV
The reason for the season was for you and me. Let’s not miss the cost of the gift that God gave some 2000 years ago.
He did it all for His Love for You.
I pray you receive His Present to you.
The Gift that had Worth, Jesus gave it all.
Therefore, who did He do it all for?
You that is who!
