God-Gifts of Christmas

We enjoy receiving gifts any time during the year, but we especially enjoy them at Christmas. Most of the time the wrapped gifts we receive include physical things, but other gifts, not wrapped, may come as intangible things like love and care by family members, good health, Christmas music, beautiful decorations, and celebrations with special friends or family. Did you know that the Bible tells us that God has given gifts to people? The phrase, “Gift of God,” occurs several times in the Bible and here are some of these God-gifts.

1)    The Gift of Salvation. The Bible says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is God’s deliverance of people from the power and effects of sin through the work of Jesus Christ dying on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin. Salvation is the sinner's rescue from death to life with God.

2)    The Gift of God’s Grace. The Apostle Paul tells us, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power” (Ephesians 3:7). Since all of us are sinners, we must rely on Jesus’ death on the cross on our behalf to receive forgiveness of sin and enjoy eternal salvation.

3)    The Gift of Eternal Life. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This gift is available to anyone who believes in Christ and trusts that he died to pay the penalty of sin which we deserved to pay. Without Jesus Christ, it would be impossible for us to live with God forever.

4)    The Gift of Righteousness. Scripture explains, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:17). When anyone puts their faith and trust in Jesus alone, they step into righteousness, which is only available because Jesus died on the cross for each of us. We become righteous, not because of anything we have done, but on what Christ had done.

5)    The Gift of Life. The Bible says, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (I Peter 3:7). Marriage is a blending of two lives, and when a man has found a virtuous woman to marry, she becomes a precious gift – the gift of life.

Obviously, these God-gifts originate with God himself. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father [God] of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). We can enjoy these God-given-gifts all year long, but they are particularly precious during the Christmas season. Have you personally received these gifts from God? They are yours for the receiving. Take time to thank God for what he has given you. Do not let Christmas slip by without showing your appreciation to God for the wonderful gifts he has provided for you.

The Promise of Christmas

All of us have had someone make a promise to us.  It may have been the promise of a gift, a visit, or to complete a task.  Promises are fun to receive, especially if the person who makes the promise follows through with what they promised they would do.  However, there is great disappointment if the promise is broken. In the book of Acts we are told of a promise that God made to us.  Since the promise is about Jesus, we’ll call this a Christmas promise.  The Bible verse says, “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised” (Acts 13:23).  Notice three things about this special Christmas promise.

1)      The Christmas Promise comes from God.  The text says, “as He promised.”  We can always be assured that when God makes a promise, He will fulfill it.  It will come to pass.  The Bible says, “The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does” (Psalm 145:13). God always does what He says He will do.  That is the Christmas story.

2)      The Christmas Promise involves God’s Action.  Scripture reminds us that Jesus was born in a stable in the little town of Bethlehem.  But His birth in that town, at that specific time, did not just happen.  The text says, “God has brought.”  It was God’s activity.  He sent His one and only Son demonstrating His great love for us.  That is the Christmas story.

3)      The Christmas Promise Intent is Salvation through God’s Son.  The text tells us that God brought to Israel “the Savior Jesus.”  Why do you and I, and all mankind, need a Savior?  It is because all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (or His holy standard) – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  The penalty of our sin is death – spiritual separation from God – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Jesus came to die on the cross for us to pay the death penalty that we owed. That is the Christmas story.

Many years ago, at the World’s Fair, when electrical gadgets were new, an electrical building had a door with no door handles.  You could not enter the building unless you stepped on a mat outside the door.  When you made that step, the door would open.  That action is almost like the Promise of Christmas.  God’s promise of Christmas is for everyone; but the only way we can claim that promise is by faith.  We take a step of faith when we put our trust in what Jesus has done for us.  Believing in Jesus and receiving by faith will enable us to claim salvation as God’s Christmas promise to us.

The Love Gift

February is nearly complete, but the month is known for love.  Probably this is so because of Valentine’s Day which is a day set aside to honor lovers.  Many people use this occasion to send greeting cards or gifts to each other to express affection.  Valentine cards are often designated with hearts to symbolize love.  The more I thought about the love month, the more I was reminded that love is reflected in who God is and what He came to this earth to do.

First, love is a description of God.  The Bible emphatically states, “God is love” (I John 14:6).  This statement doesn’t tell us what God does, it express who God is.  Before we understand the loving actions of God we need to recognize that love is His very essence and characterizes Him in every way.

Second, God has shown His great love for us by providing salvation through Christ.   The great love-verse of the Bible points this out when it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Third, God has sent His love to us as a greeting card.  The Apostle John tells us about this greeting card when he says, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loves us and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (I John 4:9-10).

Aren’t you glad that God is in the business of loving?  Aren’t you glad that He is in the business of loving you?  The question is, what should we do with these expressions of  love?  Here is the answer:“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (I John 5:12).  This suggests that we need to make sure we put our faith in the Son of God and trust Him as our Savior and Lord.  The Apostle Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Let God’s love-gift make a difference in your life.  That difference will be felt both now, and for all eternity.