In Chapter 18 of ‘We
Make The Road By Walking’ we learn about sharing gifts. During the
Christmas season we might try to figure out if someone has bought us a gift we
have really wanted. Perhaps we might even snoop around the house to find what
has been bought. It is very easy to get caught up in the materialism of it all
and forget that the real message of Christmas is not found in the gifts that we
give to one another. Rather, it is a reminder of the gift that God has given to
each of us. It is the only gift that truly keeps giving. Here are a few
thoughts about God’s gift of Jesus to us:
- God's gift came to us in the humblest of wrappings. What would we think if we saw a gift under the Christmas tree that was wrapped in dirty newspaper and tied up with string? But that’s exactly how God presented his gift to us. Jesus was not born in a palace of gold; He was born in a stable with animals. He was clothed with rags. He was laid in a feeding trough. What a great sacrifice God made for us! God's gift to humanity, the ultimate gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings.
- We don't deserve the gift God gave us. At Christmas, we give gifts to those who we care about, those who have been kind to us, or who have given us a gift first. We don't give gifts to the person who has been talking about us negatively of gossiping about us or to the angry neighbor who never has a kind word to say. Yet God gave us His gift when we were His enemies. He didn't give this gift to us because we deserved it. In fact, it was just the opposite. The Bible tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
- The gifts we give always tell us something about the giver. When we want to give someone a gift, we might start thinking about it ahead of time. Hopefully, we try to find what that person wants or needs. However, when God decided to give us the gift of eternal life, it wasn't something that He just thought of. Way before there was a town called Bethlehem, there was a garden called Eden, and a decision was made in eternity that God would send forth His Son, born of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those that are under the law.
So Christmas isn't about those gifts that we have under our
trees this season. All of those things will be gone one day. All that will be
left after this life is the human soul, and that will live forever. We put so
much stock in what we have, but it will all pass away. Life is about what
happens beyond the grave. Life is about knowing the God who made us and who
gave us the greatest gift we will ever receive. Let’s take a moment this
Christmas season to give our Heavenly Father the greatest gift He desires: the
gift of our heart.
What one thought or idea from today’s lesson especially
intrigued, provoked, disturbed, challenged, encouraged, warmed, warned, helped,
or surprised you?
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