‘Tis the season of gifts, and gift giving. Beautiful gifts, fancy paper, big bows, and bright colors. We are all in search for the perfect gift for each of our special friends and loved ones. Ultimately God is a giver of wonderful gifts. He is the giver of life, the giver of salvation, the giver of healing, and the giver of love. By giving himself as a ransom for men, he has also made all of his promises complete in the person of Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians 1:20, Paul wrote,
“For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason, we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.” AMP
God has promised us everything in Christ. Moreover, He has said Yes in Him!
The prophetic words of the coming Messiah came true that night. Finally, the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) who would crush the head of the serpent made his appearance on planet earth.
Promised from the time of the beginning, through the patriarch Abraham, and the lineage King David confirmed through the prophet Hosea that the baby boy, was to be born in the town of Bethlehem.
The Old Testament Scriptures thus find their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ proclaimed in the New Testament.
He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things? (Ro 8:32).
Therefore in this season, we celebrate that God has given us himself! In the same way, we receive the gift of salvation by faith, we will obtain every other promise in the Scriptures that is afforded to all who believe. Ultimately we are called to celebrate Jesus not only as a baby but as the sinless Savior who said he would redeem all who believe in Him from their sins. For some of us, Christmas is a time to celebrate our Lord and recommit our lives to Him. The greatest gift we can give to Jesus is to love and to obey him and to love others, especially those around the Christmas table, outrageously!
Merry Christmas!
Nancy