A question that is frequently asked this time of year is, “What do you want for Christmas?” You give your list, the person who asked goes to a store and buys items on your list, and present it to you on Christmas. God operates differently. Instead of asking what it is we want, He prioritizes what we need. The best gifts are those that meet our needs. God does care about our desires— “Delight in Yahweh and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4)— but He would cease being good if He neglected to deal with our lack and excessively filled our lives with distractions.
Christmas is the celebration of the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. Did people really want Jesus? From the accounts in the gospels, not really. Herod the Great wanted Him dead as soon as he heard about Him. Joseph wanted to separate from Mary when he heard about Him. His own brothers did not believe in Him, and the leaders of His own people had Him crucified. Yet, Jesus was exactly what the world needed— a human who could walk with God in righteousness, whose life would reconcile all who believe to the Creator God. What makes Jesus the greatest gift of all is that He was God’s representative to man and man’s representative to God; He was God’s presence on Earth and now is man’s presence in heaven. He is the fulfillment of Scripture, the model for us to walk with God. We are to view the world through the lens of Jesus. He has redefined how we should see the world and interact with people. This gift should not be enjoyed only after death, but Hesus can be experienced now. This gift brings joy and order to chaos, light to darkness, and something out of nothing. This gift is a gift that meets all the needs of all who need it. Through trusting the goodness and faithfulness of this gift, we have abundant life. Where did this gift come from?
It came directly from the Father. God sent His Son as His best gift to us. There is no such thing as fulfillment outside of Jesus. There is no genuine hope outside of Him. It is through the gospels we read about the ge abundant generosity of God as send in the life of Jesus. Wherever Jesus was proclaimed as Lord the abundant generosity of God was present—healing, acceptance, love, reconciliation, forgiveness, mercy, justice, deliverance, fellowship. The same is true for you and me today. Whenever and whenever Jesus is acknowledged as the Lord, the gift of the presence of God is there. This is the beauty of the Christmas season; we have a hope in a God who gives good gifts. Hopelessness resigns the truth that God is this giver of good gifts and it is a lie that tells us His goodness ran out. It tells us the giver of good gifts has run out of good gifts to give. Our hope rests on the testimony of our own lives that God will show up with good gifts. Though He has already given His best, the good we continue to experience is a result of that gift. So, what do you need for Christmas? It is found in Jesus Christ, the good gift that was given by the Gift Giver.
Until next time, continue to stay guided by grace,
Tra
Guided by Grace 