We’re in a season of gifts. Have you stopped to ask yourself what the most valuable gift of the season is? The most expensive? The most popular of the year? The easiest: gift cards, so our friends and loved ones can buy what they want?
How long will the gifts we give last? Even the more valuable gifts of our time, talent, and love become memories.
“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6a). I’ve read that phrase many times throughout the years. I knew it referred to Jesus. Jesus as a Child. Jesus as God’s Son.
A Child is born. A Son is given.
Humanity united with God.
The Holy Spirit came upon the virgin Mary, and the power of God overshadowed her. Her Child is holy—the Son of God (Luke 1:35).
This Child is born to walk this earth, taste earth’s delights, learn His earthly stepfather’s trade, and be tempted to sin but not yield to the temptation.
The God of Gifts
Gifts aren’t earned. They are freely given. The Israelites knew God as the God of gifts.
- The Creator of the Universe promised One who would conquer Satan (Genesis 3:15).
- Noah and his family received life during the flood (Genesis 6:13-22)
- God gave Abraham a land for his descendants (Genesis 12).
- The Almighty gave the Israelites freedom from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 13:17-22)
- God’s presence was with Israel as He led them through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22).
- The gift of manna and water miraculously provided for the Israelites (Exodus 16:35, Exodus 17:6)
- The Holy One gave the world the way to walk with Him in righteousness, the Law (Exodus 24).
God poured out many more of His love gifts of freedom, guidance, peace, and prosperity upon the Israelites in spite of them turning from Him and worshiping other gods.
No matter what they did, the Israelites couldn’t keep the Law of God. God is holy. Lawbreakers break fellowship with God.
Fellowship with God was a constant with Jesus. But He kept the Law perfectly. Jesus told us why we can’t keep the Law when He was asked what the most important law of God was.
“Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these‘” (Mark 12:29-31 ESV)
Love God with all my soul, mind, and strength and love my neighbor as myself? I need help! I’m a lawbreaker who has broken fellowship with my God. I want to call Him Lord of my life., to walk with Him, and enjoy fellowship with God.
Lord, give me the gift that will cause me to have fellowship with You.
The Gift of Eternal Life
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)
God loved. He gave His Son.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)
God’s Son is given to do what only the Christ can do—live a perfect life of loving service, pay the price for the world’s sins by taking those sins upon Himself (redeeming men and women), and suffering death on the cross. That death brought eternal life.
On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 10:40). He conquered death.
Our Savior has wrapped His gift of eternal life in Light. He is the Light of the World (John 9:5). A scarlet-threaded ribbon brightly wraps it up. Many iridescent scarlet loops top the gift.
Jesus holds out the gift to you and me—a gift more wonderful than we can imagine.
From Genesis to Revelation, we see that scarlet threads point to Jesus and the shedding of His blood (Hebrews 9:22-28). Will you loosen the scarlet-threaded bow?
Open the gift and spread apart the tissue paper. Allow God’s lovingkindness to wrap you in His Eternal Light as His many gifts fill you to overflowing.
Overflowing Gifts
Gifts overflowed from God to the Israelites, and undeserved blessings abound in those who love God and follow Him. The number of blessings are too many to count.
A few of them are below.
- “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25 ESV)
- The Holy Spirit dwells in us and seals us until the day of redemption.“By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (1John 4:13 ESV)
- “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:6-7 ESV)
- The Holy Spirit comforts, teaches, and guides us. He convicts us of our sins, and gives us wisdom. Romans 8:26-27 tells us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us as we pray.
- Through the Holy Spirit, Christians receive a variety of spiritual gifts to use to serve others (1 Corinthians 12)
- Beatitude Gifts. Jesus shares the gifts that believers who persevere will enjoy in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-12.
- Kingdom of God
- Comfort.
- Earth as an inheritance.
- Satisfaction in righteousness.
- Mercy.
- See God.
- Called sons of God.
- Kingdom of heaven.
- Great reward in heaven.
- A multitude of other gifts like rest, peace, wisdom, and endurance.
The Greatest Gift
“When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, since You have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:1-3 ESV)
God gave His Son. God gave you and me to His Son. His Son gave eternal life.
“This will be the greatest glory of heaven: to know God, to know Jesus, more intimately and wonderfully than we ever could on earth. ‘It is the chief blessing of heaven, the cream of heaven, the heaven of heaven, that the saints shall there see Jesus.’” (Spurgeon)
Your Gifts
What gifts will you give during this season of gifts?
God gave His beloved Son.
His Son gave His life for you and me.
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