This post contains affiliate links to Amazon and other companies that will reward me monetarily or otherwise when you use them to make qualifying purchases. For more information please refer to my disclaimer page. Thank you for your support.

Christmas morning is coming.  Our families will soon be tearing open all of those packages that are wrapped and sitting under the tree.  Right now, we are spending hours searching for or wrapping up the ultimate gift for the ones we love. Let’s face it, we want their eyes to light up on Christmas morn.

We spend weeks and even months trying to figure out that perfect gift, don’t we?  We analyze what they look at, what they say they like, and what they need.  There’s really nothing wrong with that.  We want to make them happy.

Can we make them happy?

But can we?  Can a present really bring true happiness?  Sure, it may make them temporarily happy.  They will have a blast riding that new bicycle or playing with that pretty doll.  They may look very nice in their new clothes and truly love them.  But will those presents actually satisfy them?  I doubt it.

When I was a kid…

When I think back on Christmas mornings as a teenager, a lot of things come to mind.  I remember my mom and dad working super hard to give us the things we wanted.  I remember a lot of flat square presents (record albums) that my brothers and I gave each other under the tree.  And I remember an incredible sadness once all the presents were opened.  There was an emptiness deep inside that no material thing could fill. 

I didn’t know then about the ultimate gift.  Oh sure, I knew that the reason we celebrated Christmas was because Jesus was born.  After all, we had a nativity scene growing up.  In fact, I still have the same one. But I had no idea what it all meant…or could mean…to me.

How about you?

Furthermore, I figured I’d have to live my entire life with that emptiness.  I didn’t think anything could fill that hole.  I have certainly tried enough things.  Have you?

Of course, the sadness I felt at Christmas only makes sense.  After all, thinking that Christmas presents would make us happy without the One who brought Christmas to us is actually pretty silly.  We should realize that true, lasting happiness is not about any material things.

But what will bring that happiness? What is this “ultimate gift” that I am talking about?  And what does it have to do with Christmas?  Let’s start at the beginning, at least, my new beginning.

What a mess

Once I hit bottom and realized what a mess my life was, I looked up.  Through a series of events, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 27 years old.  I received the ultimate gift standing outside of a Kmart store, of all places.  Yep, that’s where I was “saved”…right there on South Boulevard.

How does something like this happen?  First, one needs to realize that they need to be saved.  At this time in my life, I saw plainly the mess my life had become.  A lot of it was not my own doing, true. Still, it was my life.  To be honest, I was somewhat desperate. I saw that I needed a serious change.  So when I was confronted with the truth of what Christ had done for me, I took hold of it.

Romans 3:23 tells us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  It was clear to me that I could not stand before a good and holy God.  Although compared to my friends, I was a fairly “good” person…so much so that they would tease me about it. However, God’s plumb line is straight and I fell terribly short.  

We all fall short…it’s that simple.

What we deserve

The penalty for my sin, and yours, is death. That’s what we deserve.

God didn’t leave us there though.  As the verse says, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   You see, God’s love for us is so strong, so eternal, so incredibly BIG that He sent His Son to earth to save us.  This is His gift to us.  God knew from the beginning of Creation that He would do this.  It was not His Plan B. 

God’s Love

God, in His perfect love for us, made a way for us.  He sent His only Son to take our sin and sacrifice Himself on the cross.  Jesus willingly took the penalty of death for our sins so that we would not have to die a spiritual death. Because of this, we can be forgiven.  That’s right!  Our slate can be wiped clean. That emptiness inside filled.

This gift was given to everyone…no matter what you may or may not have done.  Rich, poor…male, female…none of these matters.  But we have to accept it.  We have to ask God to forgive us and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

When it’s all said and done, the choice is yours.  You can accept the gift of forgiveness or you can refuse it.  God will not force it on you.  But make no mistake, you will be held responsible for your choice.

This is the gift

Know that this is the only gift that will ever truly satisfy you or your loved ones. This is the gift that will fill that emptiness inside of you and bring real joy.

This is the gift we cannot buy for our family but should spend hours, days, and months praying they will receive.

So, I’m just wondering, if instead of spending an exuberant amount of time shopping, maybe we might spend some of that time on our knees.  Maybe we should be praying that our children, our brothers and sisters, our parents, and our friends come to receive the Ultimate Gift.

After all, Jesus is really what Christmas is all about!

I hope that this year you and yours will come to know God’s Gift, His precious Son, like never before.

Merry Christmas!

By the way…if you need someone to listen to or pray for you, email me. I can do that or if you prefer, find someone who can.

viewsfrommyfrontporch@gmail.com