Friday, December 22, 2017
Luke 2:11 ... unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
HE LEFT HIS THRONE TO SAVE US!
We all have wonderful memories of Christmases past and they have taught us lessons about life and salvation-- lessons only Christians can understand! Think back when you were young, how you just couldn't wait for Christmas to get here. Remember the excitement, the anticipation, and finally the joy of those special gifts just for you. We may have looked at those gifts a hundred times as they sat beautifully wrapped under the tree trying to guess what they were and hoping they were what we thought.
Since then we've experienced the joy of giving gifts. We can't wait for others to open them, wanting them to be surprised, excited! We so hope they will treasure what we gave them. Gifts we give to others often convey feelings or emotions that can be hard to express. They show the love and gratitude we have for them. As we've grown older I'm sure we've found more joy in giving gifts than receiving them!
Like you, I remember watching as my children and grandchildren opened their gifts. The joy they show, the thankfulness they express, is more than just emotion over a "thing," it's also an expression of their love. The love and they show is greater than any gift they could have given to us!
Those feelings might help us understand in some small way what our Savior felt that first Christmas, when He showed His love and joy in such an incomparable way. He Who is Christmas showed us how much we mean to Him in giving Himself to us.
As you and I hope our gifts are treasured by our loved ones, how much more doesn't Jesus hope all will treasure His gift. His gift couldn't be bought with any amount. It couldn't be found under a tree. Rather His ultimate gift was on a tree! His cross at Calvary was certainly a Christmas tree of sorts, but the only decoration hanging from it was mankind's Redeemer, freely giving His life as a gift to all! For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us!
The gift was given in perfect love, tailored exactly to each individual's needs. Hopefully you will never know how it feels to give a gift in love only to see it hated and not wanted, but Jesus does! His Gift of peace and life eternal many will stand in line to exchange!
