Hi, friends. I’m in need of a little encouragement these days, how about you? So I dug into the archives to dust off this post from last Christmas. I thought maybe you would appreciate the reminder as much as I do. Virtual hugs to you and your household. —Becky
Salvation Army. Samaritan’s Purse. Adopt a Family. World Vision.
This time of year, there’s no shortage of opportunities to give cheerfully to others in need. And that’s what Christmas is all about, right? Generosity. Kindness. Give, give, give!
Or so I thought—until last Sunday, when our pastor flipped my Christmas tree upside down.
“Christmas is NOT about giving,” he said. “It’s about getting.”
What the what?!?
Well, our pastor did explain Christmas involves giving—but not ours. We’re not the ones doing the real giving here.
God is.
“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, emphasis added).
And what is our job?
Receiving what He gave.
“Yet to all who did RECEIVE him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12, emphasis added).
{Pssssshhhhhhhooooowwwww! That’s the sound of my mind being BLOWN.}
Okay, so we know these verses, we’ve read them before, we’ve studied them, maybe even memorized them. So why are we still so stuck on the whole idea of Christmas being about the GIVING and not the GETTING?
Yes, generosity is one of God’s attributes, and we want to be like Him—especially during this holy season when we celebrate His son’s birth.
But generosity—giving, whether donations or presents or time—is not the point of Christmas. Getting is.
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a GIFT from God” (Ephesians 2:8, NLT, emphasis added).
So this Christmas, imagine—under the tree awaits a beautiful shiny box, with a tag that says, “For {your name}… Love, God.” Inside is the most beautiful light—the light of Christ—and it grants you favor with the Creator of the Universe. This light takes residence in your soul and becomes your ticket to everlasting life in heaven—plus power to live free from the slavery of sin in this world. Whaaaat??? Is there any better gift, ever? No way! And the most amazing thing is that this is a gift you can never, ever, ever, ever buy for yourself. Only God can give it. And you GET to receive it. You get to open it. You get to keep it.
God says so.
He had this gift in mind for you when He sent a baby to a manger on that first Christmas night. That is what Christmas is all about. Not our giving and kindness and love for mankind—but God’s. And I can think of no better reason to celebrate. Can you?
Merry Christmas,
Becky
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