The Best Gift

For many people, the Christmas Celebration is a time to be together with friends and family, and an occasion to make someone happy. For others, Christmas is a time of loneliness, and for some even despair. The number of acts of desperation rises each year during the Christmas Season.

Christmas points us to
the gift that God offers to us.

Any gift that we could ever give is insignificant in comparison to the great gift that God has for us. The value of this gift is immeasurable. It makes our life new, rich, and worth living.

God sees our wishes, desires and needs. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows the status of our relationship to Him. How would you assess your relationship to God? Is it in order, or is there sin in your life that is separating you from God?

God knows about every single sin. Sin is, for example, unbelief, our rebellion against God and breaking His commandments. Because of our sin, we are guilty before God.

Debts in a bank can normally be paid back with regular payments over a period of time. Many people try hard to do good works and to keep God's commandments. However, we cannot pay our debt before God. Even if someone would never sin again, the person would still have numerous sins from the past that separate the person from God.

In Isaiah 59:2 we read: “...your iniquities have separated you from you God.” And in 1. Corinthians 6:9 it says: ”Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?” Without the cleansing of our sins we cannot go to heaven. Death, the place of punishment and eternal damnation are waiting for us.

The great gift that God offers us is the forgiveness of our sins. He wants to free us from the verdict of ”eternal damnation” (see Revelation 20:15). He wants us to become His children and heirs of His kingdom. How can this happen? God cannot simply ignore our sins and do as if they never happened. If He did that, He would not be just. The only way that we can be saved is for our sins to be forgiven, and that is why God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth.

Christmas reminds us of the birth of
Jesus in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.

Jesus became a person like us. However, there was a difference between His life and that of a normal person. Jesus lived a life without sin. He preached the Gospel to the people, He healed the sick and did good. His miracles confirm that He is the Saviour that was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Although Jesus was innocent, He was sentenced to death. He did not deserve to die. But through His death on the cross of Golgatha He took the punishment for our sins in our place. He paid the entire debt that we have before God. God accepted this sacrifice. Three days later God raised Him from the dead and later took Him back to heaven. Jesus is still living today.

The reason that Jesus came to earth is explained in Matthew 1:21:

“She (Maria) will give birth
to a son, and you are to give him
the name Jesus, because he will save
his people from their sins.”

Jesus came to this earth and became a man in order to reconcile us with God.

The real meaning of Christmas is not the joyful get togethers, but rather it is about our relationship with God. Through Jesus we can be freed from our sins. We can receive forgiveness and become God's children. We can have the assurance in our hearts that we will be in heaven one day. Isn't that a great gift?

I would like to ask you: ”Have you accepted this gift?” If so, you have every reason to joyfully celebrate Christmas. If the best gift is still not your gift, accept the gift today. In Acts 3:19 we read:

“Repent, then, and turn to God,
so that your sins may be wiped out.”

Through prayer you can talk to Jesus and confess your failure and your sins that you are aware of. Ask Him to forgive your sins that you can no longer remember. He forgives you gladly. But don’t just stop there. Tell Jesus that you want to trust Him completely and that He should reign in your life. Invite Him to come into your life and take on the leadership in your life. If you give your life to Jesus, you become His child (see John 1:12).

After you have prayed as explained above, thank Jesus that He died for your sins, that He forgave you and that He gave you a new, eternal life. This is how you can experience that God’s gift is the best gift ever!

Manfred Röseler

---------------------

Title of the original edition: Das beste Geschenk

Publisher: Bruderhand-Medien Bruderhand-Medien, Am Hofe 2, 29342 Wienhausen, Deutschland, Telefon: +49 (0)5149 9891-0, Fax: -19, Homepage: www.bruderhand.de

E-Book-Date: 17.10.2016. Best.-Nr. 31-3 | Englisch/English | 1st edition 2016