The Greatest Gift

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! — Luke 2:14

In my prayer room, I have a beautiful painting of the holy nativity picturing Joseph, a carpenter, who was an earthly father to the Son of God, and the young mother, Mary, a virgin, watching over the baby who is peacefully sleeping in a manger. What a miracle. Faith reveals the wonder of Jesus’ birth that night — the greatest gift ever given to mankind. This painting reminds me that Christmas is also about giving of ourselves.

The young man, a carpenter, gave up his reputation in obedience to God in order to take Mary for his wife, even though she was pregnant before they wed. It was unthinkable in those days for a man to do that. Mary was a young girl who loved the Lord with a pure heart. She was specially chosen by God to be His mother, who would love and care for Him until He reached manhood. She was glad to receive the honor and also willingly gave up her reputation.

Then God gave up His Son for the sake of redeeming us.

In a humble state, born as a helpless Baby, Jesus came into this sinful, evil world and gave up His glory and majesty to become our Savior.

So Christmas is a time of giving. It is a time of being with family and celebrating, but for believers it is also a time to think about the real message of love and sacrifice behind the Christmas season. There are many people who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and this time of the year is a wonderful opportunity to convey the love, peace, and blessedness of our almighty God to those around us.

PRAYER: God, thank You for the unfathomable gift you’ve given us in your Son. Help me to offer myself sacricially as a gift to others this season.

Excerpted with permission from Living a Mighty Faith by Angus Buchan, copyright Angus Buchan.

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Your Turn

Giving gifts is fun. And, giving gifts is easy… Find out what someone wants, save for it, buy it, wrap it, and give it. Joy! Giving of ourselves is much harder. It’s a bigger sacrifice. Let’s follow Mary and Joseph’s example and willingly give of ourselves for the Lord. Let’s keep our eyes open for opportunities to give as God gave for us and do it with joy! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily