“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his
name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21 KJV

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and it’s here once again.  As I began to ponder the end of the fall season and the beginning of another round of winter months, my heart quickly overflowed with joy and excitement regarding this Christmas season.  I honestly cannot think of one individual that I know that does not enjoy the warmth and significance of Christmas.  It truly is a special time of year…especially for parents.  This is my tenth Christmas as a parent and I’m convinced it’s gets better every year.

There aren’t many things in this world that can compare to the joy that fills the heart of a mom or dad as they experience this magical time of year with their children.  Christmas has always been a season with kids in mind.  We string beautiful lights from one end of our homes to the other, assemble trees filled with ornaments made by tiny hands, bake cookies for that special guest who only comes once a year and prepare to see the faces of our children light up as they take in the wonder of Christmas morning.

Though we do our best to teach them the proper Christmas perspective, no one can deny that one of the most exciting elements in a child’s life is what they’ll find when they wake up on December 25th.    This undoubtedly explains the difficulty every child faces as they struggle endlessly to drift off to sleep the night before.

There are many things that we don’t have to teach our children.  There’s no need to teach them to cry.  Many exit the womb doing just that.  The need to teach them how to be hungry simply doesn’t exist.  We don’t fret as we try to understand the best method to use as we teach our children to misbehave.  That also comes naturally.  We also don’t have to teach our children how to be excited about those packages under the tree or how to open them.  These things just come naturally.

I wonder at what point this instinctive nature begins to wane.  It seems that, as we get older, our attitudes toward gifts changes.  Somewhere along the way we get “too old” to be excited about gifts.  We start making educated decisions about Christmas presents and we tell ourselves that the adult thing to do is use the Christmas gift angle to provide ourselves with practical needs instead of allowing ourselves to be excited about what might await us Christmas morning.  There’s nothing wrong with being practical as long as we don’t become stagnant.

In Matthew 1:21, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him that Mary would have a son and his name would be called Jesus.  He further explained that the mission of his child was to save his people from their sins.  This truth validates Jesus Christ himself as the greatest Christmas gift ever given.

Unfortunately, many have chosen to either reject the gift altogether or pride themselves on their decision to not get caught up in the excitement of the gift.  The most common thread running through every Christmas gift that’s ever been given is the fact that the gift must be received.  All the effort parents put forth to make Christmas special for their children would be futile and worthless without the children’s willingness to accept and appropriate the gift that’s given.

One of the most interesting parts of the verse to me is the fact that Jesus’ purpose was to save “his” people from their sins.  But what does that mean?  It’s actually pretty simple.  He can only save those who are willing to be known as His and live like it.  He can’t save anyone who refuses to honor him through obedience and faithfulness.  There is an absolute distinction between those that are his and those that are not.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stunted in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Psalm 1:1-2

There are many who believe that this gift given by God can be used, abused, set aside and twisted to fit their own ideology.  But this gift, as others, comes with a specific set of instructions and principles that must be subscribed to.  Now, make no mistake about it, the love of God is free, unconditional and comes with no strings attached.  The blessings of God, however, are not so.  Holiness is still God’s standard for living.  His Word is still the blueprint for success.  His Spirit is still our guide as we make our way through this journey called life.

The Bible says that the man who lives under the light of God’s counsel is blessed, not every man that lives.  Jesus’ mission was to save “his” people from their sins, not all people everywhere.  We are still required to come, confess our sins and make him the Lord of our lives if we expect salvation.  Any other doctrine reinforces universalism which believes that, in the end, all men will be saved.

On that first Christmas night, Jesus Christ was born into the flesh and became the greatest Christmas gift ever wrapped…in swaddling clothes.  The question is why do we persistently choose to leave him wrapped and tucked away in a manger?  It seems that many people are content trying to make it on their own while neglecting the benefit and blessings that this gift provides.  Still, others use this gift without allowing the truth this gift provides to permeate their hearts and minds and create real change in their lives.

It’s time to make the most of this precious gift that God has given.  It’s time to stop twisting the truth and trying to force him into our belief system.  It’s time to return to the joy and expectancy that we had as children at Christmas.  This gift can only be enjoyed when he is received and given the authority from our hearts to change our lives his way.  The choice is yours.