Christmas makes us think of beautifully wrapped presents, but the first gift of Christmas was wrapped in nothing more than simple cloth – swaddling clothes. Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby without the fanfare of foil paper or colored bows. His wrapping was poor, but the gift He brought was ever so rich. He came into our world carrying the exact price for our salvation in His pocket – the ability to live a perfect human life as both fully God and fully man. Yet, before His work was done here, He would be “gift-wrapped” again. He let humanity wrap Him in a purple robe and mock Him as an earthly king, though He is the Divine King of Kings. He was nailed to a cross to complete the expensive transaction of exchanging His perfection and righteousness for our sin – giving us the opportunity to unwrap the gift of joyful eternal life. And when our price was fully paid, His body was tenderly gift wrapped again in strips of burial cloth and laid in a tomb. But the story doesn’t end there. Three days later humanity received the most wonderful present of all time. Jesus took off the gift wrap of grave clothes and came out of the tomb alive, proving that death could not hold Him – nor any of us, who choose to follow Him as Lord & Savior. Unwrap the greatest gift this Christmas if you never have. Accept the gift of forgiveness Jesus offers and choose to follow Him. And if you already have the gift, He won’t mind at all if you “re-gift” – pass it on to everyone you know. J  May this Christmas find your heart full of His joyful Christmas Presence.

If you want to be sure you have true forgiveness from God…if you want a fresh faith start — pray the prayer below. God will accept it immediately. You don’t have to fix your life before coming to Him in faith. He made you. He knows how to fix it better than you, anyway. He just says, “Come. Put your life in my Hands. Be the clay. I’m the Potter, prepared to transform your life.”

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving me, for paying the price for my sin that I could never pay. Thank you for being my personal Savior. Thank you for making it possible for me to  have a new start, a transformed life — abundant life now and eternal life in heaven. Jesus, I invite you to begin leading me by Your Holy Spirit so that I can live a new life. Thank you for the best Christmas Gift ever — salvation.

BIBLE VERSES TO PONDER:
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 64:8
Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Luke 2:1-20 The Birth of Jesus

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to his own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I hope your Christmas is a joyful celebration of YOUR Savior’s birth!

Merry Christmas
from
Life-Changing Words