The Greatest Gift

Christmas is almost here! Have you got all the gifts you need to purchase? Are you one of those amazing people who have them all wrapped and ready for Christmas already? Maybe you are one of those people who will wait until the last few days before Christmas to get out and get all the things you need and then stay up all night on Christmas Eve to get them wrapped. The only sad thing is that ready early or just finished on Christmas Eve, most will watch the kids demolish the amazing wrapping in seconds, but that’s the fun of the act of giving the gift, right? In the moment when you give the gift, do you think about the cost of the gift? In the moment of receiving the gift and all the excitement that goes along with it, maybe the cost isn’t on our minds, but after reflection, we must recognize that the giver freely gives his gift to the receiver out of a heart of love. The gift is given without any strings attached even though it costs the giver personally to give it. 

That’s why we agonize over the wrapping and make it look so nice and maybe even try to keep it a secret until Christmas Day so we can see the joy in the eyes of the receiver when they open it. In our house, the best gift giver is the one who can make our mom cry! If you know my mom, that is not terribly difficult because she is tender-hearted and thankful for the thought and sacrifice that goes into each gift she is given.

Did you realize that this art of giving gifts was perfected in the life of Christ?

I don’t think you will find any wrapping paper or gift bags in the Christmas story, but the idea of gifts, both giving and receiving, is all over the story and literally in the earthly life of Christ. Let’s look at some of these ideas in the Christmas story.

The first one that comes to mind is in Isaiah 9:6. The prophet tells us that there would be a child born, a Son that would be GIVEN! Even in prophecy, God is telling us that His Son would be a gift to us!

What an amazing thought that God’s Son was given for you and me!

Another reference to giving in the Christmas story is found in Joseph’s willingness to give Mary his love even after things didn’t go according to plan. Mary and Joseph were betrothed to one another when the angel came to Mary in Luke 1 and explained that she, a virgin, would bear the Son of God. After Joseph found out that Mary was with child while being betrothed to him, he could have, in essence, divorced her in that culture. But Joseph believed what the angel of the Lord told him in Matthew 1, and he gave Mary his love and even waited to consummate their marriage until after Jesus was born (Matt.1:25).

I think that was an amazing gift that Joseph gave to Mary that first Christmas!

The shepherds in Luke 2 were involved in giving as well. Luke tells us that as soon as they saw what the angels described to them – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” – they gave out the good news of Jesus’ birth. One songwriter encourages us to do the same in his Christmas text, “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”

The shepherds gave others the good news, and so should we.

Simeon and Anna gave praise and thanks to God in Luke 2 for allowing them to see the Messiah before they died. They were both promised by God that they would not die until they had seen the Lord. They gave their whole lives in service and devotion to God as they waited for the Messiah to be revealed. Then they both gave praise to God for keeping His promise to them.

We know that the wise men did not come to the birthplace of the Christ child, but they did come to worship Him. They gave time and energy to make the long journey from the East. Matthew 2 tells us that they searched for the King of the Jews even at risk to their own lives in their encounter with Herod the King. But when they came to see the young child in His home, they came with gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts were gifts fit for a king, but they also had significance for the future life of Christ.

It has been suggested that the gold represented Jesus’ deity and purity; the frankincense represented the fragrance of His life; and the myrrh represented His sacrifice yet to come in dying on the cross as it was traditionally used for embalming corpses at that time in history. These gifts were given at great cost to the wise men, but they were an aid to Joseph and Mary as they fled from Herod into Egypt and probably helped sustain them while they waited for Herod to die.

​Has God ever provided a gift for you that met a need you didn’t even know you had yet?

We could go on through Jesus’ life to see ways this idea of gift-giving and receiving continues, but I think by now you know where I am headed. The greatest gift that ever was given for you and me was the life of Jesus given on the cross so that you and I might live eternally.

Jesus explained it to Nicodemus in John 3 using one of the most famous verses in the whole Bible – “For God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God gave His Son so that we could inherit eternal life.

Paul describes it this way in 2 Corinthians 9:15 – “But thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

This is how I know He perfected the art of gift-giving – God gave us the greatest gift of all, salvation, and He asked for nothing in return. If God had sent His Son to us with the expectation of something in return, we would all be doomed.

Isaiah tells us that even the righteousness that we try to give to God in comparison to His holiness is like bloody, filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Paul explains in Ephesians 2:8-9 that salvation is a gift, not of works, lest any person could take credit for his own salvation.

The blessing of salvation is the greatest gift we could ever receive. There is nothing comparable that we could ever give to anyone as a gift. It is free to all who will call on the Lord (Romans 10:13), but it cost Jesus His life to give it to us!

If you have never received this gift of salvation, may I encourage you to reach out to us here at InstaEncouragements so we can show you from the Bible how the greatest gift in all the world can be yours this Christmas? Then you can for the first time experience Christmas in your heart!
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To my believing friends this Christmas, do you see how Jesus was modeling for us the truth of His own words in Acts 20:35 – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” He gave us everything!

​The older I get the more excited I get about giving to my friends and family. I love to see the smiles on the faces of my loved ones as I give them something I know they will enjoy. When I begin to apply this thought to what God has given me – eternal life and so much beyond that – it makes me want to give Him something in return. I know that I can never outgive God, but I am reminded of a simple truth that English poet Christina Rossetti penned many years ago in the last stanza of her poem “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what can I give Him: give my heart.

May we not get so carried away with the busyness and fun of the Christmas season that we forget to give the Lord the only thing He desires from us – our hearts to serve Him.

​He gave us everything – how could we give anything less?

What gift can you give to Jesus this Christmas that reflects His love and sacrifice for you?