Gifts From God
Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! 2 Corinthians 9:15
The third week of Advent, the candle of joy – rejoicing the coming King! A joy experienced by Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and by the Wise Men. An indescribable precious gift!
In this third week of Advent, let us remember the good news of His birth has the power to bring us great joy during the holiday season and certainly every day for that matter. Too often we allow the challenges of the world to impact our lives and to block out what we are truly thankful for, and we miss opportunities to impact the lives we are meant to serve.
I’ll tell you what brings out that feeling of hope and love in me at this time of the year is seeing in people a change of behavior. Treating others with additional kindness and demonstrating charitable behavior. I feel peace and joy when I sit quietly looking at the Christmas tree and the lights. My spirit gets a lift when I drive or walk around my neighborhood seeing the efforts my neighbors put into festive displays.
Another tradition at Christmas is to gift the ones we love. Think about the motivation behind this tradition. We want to express to those that we gift that they are so important to us. We don’t expect anything in return. We want our gift to bring joy to the person it’s intended for.
Let’s step back to the Nativity and remember the joy that filled the hearts of the shepherds, wise men, Mary and Joseph, and the angels, a joy that even today has the power to overwhelm our hearts and moves us to rejoice. The baby Jesus was recognized as the fulfillment of the prophecies. Fear was replaced with a confidence that they were gazing on the face of their Savior.
This joy is a gift. A gift given to us at the birth of Jesus. A gift given us in the life of Jesus. A gift poured out on us at Calvary. A gift given us through His resurrection. A gift that results in sin forgiven, and a promised eternal life. A gift with no strings attached. A gift that is freely given to all humanity. We need to be like those who witnessed His birth – rejoicing in the promise fulfilled and to be transformed like the shepherds and Wise Men who became evangelists sharing their joy with those they met on their travels.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the wonderful precious gift of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, who has been freely given simply based on my believing on His name. Holy Spirit fill my heart with joy this Advent season as I reflect on the good news of Jesus’ birth. In His precious name I pray. AMEN.