The Merriest Christmas 2019
There aren’t many things I can say I enjoy more than seeing elation cover my children’s faces. That probably goes the same for most parents and I’m certainly no exception. It’s truly one of the simplest, purest, most rewarding joys that I experience and I’m so thankful that daily I get to see it. But Christmas brings with it an added level of anticipation and awe that can not compare. What a sweet day it was.
I’ve been considering the act of giving the last few days and why it is I do enjoy it so much - especially to my children and those closest to me. It’s no hard concept to grasp though - my Savior gave me a gift I could never have imagined was available to me and did it joyfully and with an unwavering consideration of the cost he paid for it. A life sacrificed for my own. The wrath of God poured out on his son, in my place - deservedly. And not only that, but offering me heaven in eternity as well. The most perfect gift. The most beautiful gift. The most loving and sincere and merciful and gracious gift that’s EVER been given. And one that’s still being given, even today. I love to give and watch the elation cover faces because it’s what my Lord did for me. On a far higher and most significant scale, but nonetheless, a child mimics their father’s ways and so too, when I give it truly is such a sweet joy.
It IS in fact, better to give than to receive.
But more than any physical gift I could ever imagine giving, the good news of the Gospel is the only gift that can never fade. The only gift that will never fail or disappoint or break or rust. It’s the only gift that’s everlasting. And truly, it is the only gift that will satisfy your soul. There is no greater. Because we all know deep down, we’re filled with sin unimaginable. It infects every aspect of our lives. And there’s no way out of it. No way to find refuge from the weight of guilt and burden. It’s a load so heavy, it crushes our lives and crushes those around us. It holds us hostage. Enslaves is. Tangles is.
But there is One who offers freedom. There is One who created you in His own image and has made a way back to Him that removes the condemnation of sin, that restores you to the relationship you were intended to enjoy with Him. Because of your sin and because of His holiness, you can’t however, do it yourself. You will never be made right with God and able to truly enjoy this life as it was intended to be enjoyed without paying for the sin you’ve committed against a holy God who created you. You can never be rid of that nagging guilt. You can never be refreshed by whole restoration. You can never be truly set free. But Jesus can do this all for you. Becuase he is the one person who’s ever walked this planet that did not sin. Who was God’s own son, born of a virgin, a perfect man, without spot or blemish. And because of his perfection, God esteemed him as the perfect sacrificial payment for the sins committed against Him to all who would believe. You see, God is a loving God, but he’s also a just and fair God. Just as we would never willfully let a murderer be set free without payment for his crime, God is the same way. Sin requires payment. And in His Word, it says clearly that all have sinned and that the payment for sin is death. And not only death on earth, but also eternal punishment, far removed from anything good...for all eternity. And so, the gift was given in the crushing of Jesus on the cross. The perfect payment. And three days later, as he arose from the grave, he confirmed his deity as God Himself. It’s a gift so great in measure that we could never fathom it’s awesomeness. It’s a gift so rewarding that it can - and will - ease your burden of guilt and shame. It’s a gift unlike any other. One that offers true hope and everlasting security and love. A gift no person can ever take away.
I pray it is THE gift that you receive with arms open wide from the most faithful and loving and cheerful giver there ever lived. I pray for elation on your face when you come face to face with your Creator.
Merry Christmas, my family and friends and to those of you who don’t know me at all. I love you. I pray for you.
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