I love the month of December with all the beautiful decorations, Christmas trees, lights, parties, and festivities.
But my favorite part of the Christmas holidays is the exchange of gifts. I love receiving gifts and I especially enjoy giving presents. It’s not just the shopping, selecting, and buying special items for family members and friends, but I enjoy specially wrapping each present.
My mother inspired me with this tradition over the years. She had a unique talent for wrapping gifts in expensive and exotic paper, extravagant and colorful ribbons, and unique and beautiful decor. Her gifts were so beautiful that one was almost hesitant to open the present not wanting to destroy her creation. She truly created works of artistic expression in her beautifully wrapped presents.
But a gift cannot be received if it is not accepted, unwrapped, and embraced.
I know of another beautifully wrapped gift that we were given. This gift came as a baby, was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and was laid in a manger. The glory of God took on flesh and descended to earth to offer His life as an extravagant offering of love. But not all received God’s gift of His Son. The same is still true today.
In the commercialization of Christmas and the holidays, we can forget the reason behind Christmas. In all the flurry of the shopping, the parties, and the celebrations, we can lose sight of why we even celebrate Christmas. We can quickly forget the most important GIFT and the reason for the weeks we observed during Advent leading up to December 25th.
Though the holiday has passed, the true GIFT has not. Just like a beautifully wrapped present, let’s embrace and accept anew the greatest gift of all: our Savior Jesus Christ. And don’t set Him aside like a quickly forgotten present. For He is a priceless treasure and a beautifully wrapped gift for you to enjoy and embrace every single day.
Beloved:
I delight to impart the gift of eternal life to you through the life of My Beloved Son. But like any gift, you must be willing to accept it. If you knew just how priceless this gift is and the blessings He will bring into your life you would not hesitate for one second of eternity. Go ahead, unwrap His marvelous grace. What are you waiting for?
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
“For 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)