By Gina, Steppes of Faith
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.’” Luke 2:10
As any kid can eagerly tell you, Christmas is coming, and it’s coming fast. For parents, that means rushing to lots of shopping. It becomes difficult to focus on anything but making sure you have the right gift for the right kid before time runs out. It’s so stressful and frustrating, but it makes us feel so good when our kids open their gifts on Christmas morning and we watch their excitement. The look of pure joy on their faces when they realize you knew just what to get and just what they needed is priceless.
Just like us, our heavenly Father knows exactly the right gifts to give us at just the right time too. He knows just what we need. So, over 2,000 years ago, He decided to send us three-̶ not one-̶ amazing gifts that will last for eternity: the gift of His son, Jesus, the gift of eternal life through adoption, and the gift of a new covenant.
Gift #1: Jesus
Since the time of Adam and Eve (and likely long before then), God had a plan in place to redeem His people. At the perfect time, the Father sent the first gift to us, His son Jesus. Jesus stepped out of His holy heaven and into our sinful world by way of birth in a filthy stable to a couple of young newlyweds. He was still perfect and still holy. He was and is the Father’s perfect gift to us.
“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
Thirty years later, Jesus stopped hiding in small town Nazareth and took the Father’s message on the road. Along with a ragtag group of people typically shunned by society, Jesus forever changed the history of the world by making the Father’s love and His power evident to hundreds to people.
Gift #2: Eternal Life
Three years into His public ministry, the Father’s second gift to us was given- Jesus was crucified on a cross. His death would seem like an odd gift, but as Christians, we know that because of Jesus’s death and His subsequent victory over the grave we have been given the gift of eternal communion with the Father. We are no longer separated from our heavenly Father but rather adopted into His family.
“And when the set time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to Sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5
Gift #3: A New Covenant
Gift number three is the gift of the new blood covenant under Jesus’ blood. We are no longer bound by Moses’ law. Because of Jesus’s death, a new covenant is established so that those who believe are redeemed from their sins and justified before the Father. The new covenant provides salvation for our sins simply by faith in His grace.
“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” Romans 7:6
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, so no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
That means all we have to do to obtain salvation and forgiveness is to believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah who died on a cross to save us from death because of our sins, believe that He rose from the grave three days later, that He now sits at the right hand of the Father, that He’s coming again one day to claim His people once and for all, and that He lovingly waits to forgive you whenever you confess your sins to Him.
I can’t think of any better gifts to receive this Christmas season, or any time, than these three amazing gifts the Father gave us- Jesus, eternal life, and a new covenant based in grace. Take the time this busy holiday time to remember how much God loves you and that you are worthy of every one of His precious gifts.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
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