The Real Gift of Christmas

     This Christmas, as in Christmases past, we celebrate the birth of a Saviour, Christ the Lord. Deity, wrapped in flesh. Perfection wrapped in a robe of humanity. He was the original "Christmas gift."

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah 9:6

     This was a gift with a purpose. He was sent to be the only living man (while He never stopped truly being God) who could die, without having His own sins requiring payment.

"The wages of sin is death..." - Romans 6:23a

     Therefore, He could be that perfect, one-time sacrifice, whose death could be designated as payment for the sins of someone else, anyone else, everyone else, “whosoever” as we read in John 3:16. That is the true gift of Christmas. The gift of eternal salvation.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" - Ephesians 2:8

     However, as with any gift, it must be received. That is the only responsibility of the recipient of a gift, is that you "take" it. I can purchase a gift for you, wrap it perfectly, and place it at your feet, but it's not yours until you pick it up, unwrap it, and take it home.

     So how do we receive the gift God gave us in Jesus? You receive the "gift of God" by faith... by accepting it. You receive it by acknowledging to God that you indeed are a sinner.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" - Romans 3:23

     You receive it by acknowledging your sin before God, and actually saying (in prayer), "God, I want to take your gift of eternal salvation as my own. I want the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to count for ME! I'm turning from trusting in myself, and my deeds, and I'm trusting Christ and Him alone for my salvation."

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Romans 10:13

     Then, you have a real reason to celebrate this Christmas. You are missing out on the true joy of this holiday, if you're only celebrating the fact that A SAVIOUR was born, but you've never accepted Him as YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOUR. Jesus was not sent so that we could simply appreciate His existence, but that through Him each one of us might be saved!

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” - Mark 8:36

     Don't miss out on Heaven, and spend eternity in Hell, because you've left a gift sitting at your feet, unwrapped, unreceived. Salvation is such a simple thing to receive. It is done in just a moment of time, and yet changes your eternity!

     If you have any questions, I'd love to answer them for you. If there's anything holding you back from accepting Christ as your personal Saviour today, give me an opportunity to show you from the Bible the answer. I want that to be my gift to you this Christmas: a clear path to the Saviour.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” - John 3:17

Merry Christmas!