I was listening to the radio today
and heard a description of Christmas that was unlike any other I had ever heard
before, “Christmas was a rescue mission.”
Contrary to popular, modern day
belief, Christmas was not started by Santa Claus and his elves or by department
store giants in order to add to their year-end bottom line. While Christmas as
we know it today does have a lot of commercial roots, it is at the end of the
day a time to remember the very beginning of an unparalleled act of love and
the ultimate sacrifice. It was a rescue mission to save us, from ourselves.
This verse has become one of the
most popular verses from the entire Bible so I am sure most of us have heard it
at one point or another (thanks to the Tim Tebows of the world), but have you ever
really considered what it says? Take a minute and read it slowly to yourself….
“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
God gave a gift
to us - on Christmas day this is symbolized all around the country in the form
of giving gifts to friends and loved ones. Have you ever considered that we
give gifts because He gave first?
Jesus is the reason for this
season. Now, I realize that this is not a politically correct
view these days. The way I look at it is that Jesus was either a complete
mental case or he was who he said he was – the Son of the Living God. Due to my
own personal experiences in life and the fact that Jesus is more popular today
than he was two thousand plus years ago (and what mental case do you know of
that has had that kind of deep,
lasting, life changing impact on society and the world?), I believe the latter…that
He was, and still is, who he said he is.
The awesome
thing about this is that *YOU* too can receive the gift – the original gift
that started it all. It doesn’t take any
magic trick or blessing at an altar. Right where you are, just take a moment to
invite God and his son Jesus into your heart. Either say this out loud out or from
your heart:
‘God, I believe in
you and I believe that your son Jesus died on the cross for me to have salvation
and to take away my sins. I want to become a new person with You in my heart
and I want to be with you in Heaven when the time comes for me to leave this
Earth’
Now that is the Ultimate
Christmas Gift!
P.S. Here are some more resources for you…
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
Michelle Brockman for
Jonah’s Place
No comments:
Post a Comment