This Gift Is For You!

I remember Christmas mornings long ago.
My brother and I dash downstairs at dawn, racing slipper-footed to the tree. We ignore the gifts addressed to other family members. But, oh, we pay great attention to the gifts tagged for us!
We squeeze them. We shake them. We can barely wait to tear them open and make them fully ours. These gifts are important. These gifts are for us!
A gift is much more significant when we know it’s addressed to us.
Interestingly, the birth of Jesus is described as something given “to us”: For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given… For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 2:10 NKJV, underlining mine).
Can you think of anyone else in history born for us? Imagine how odd to read that Augustus Caesar was born for us in Italy in 63 BC. Augustus was born, yes, but not “for us”. Augustus is not a gift with our name on it.
Jesus Christ is.
Of course, Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem is a gift first of all for the Jewish people. But the angel announces that his birth will be good news for all people. We are connected to this event—if only we will look into it.
This gift is for us.
What might we do with a gift addressed to us? Many people, then and now, don’t recognize or receive Christ. His gift to them remains unopened.
Scripture tells us that Jesus “came to his own, and his own did not receive him” (John 1:11 NKJV). Christ is not welcomed. He is ignored. He is rejected.
All that he could be and do for them remains boxed up tight. 

But what if we take the gift and open it? A cascade of good things bursts from that one opened gift!
The Scriptures tell us that “to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan—this rebirth comes from God” (John 1:12-13 NLT).
Birth into God’s family is just the beginning.
Along with sins forgiven, we receive the permanent presence of God’s Spirit living in us. We discover strength for each day and hope for our future. We wake up with solid purpose for living. Peace grows in us, and joyfulness flows in surprising ways.
Scripture describes the reality of Jesus’ opened gift like this: “From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another” (John 1:16 NLT).
Jesus himself says he has come to give “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10 NLT). Truly, there is no end to this Gift that keeps on giving.
Let’s make sure we’ve opened it!

©MarionSpeicherBrown

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