DAY 4

THE GIFT

NIKKI CATHERINCCHIA, TEACHING PASTOR, THE WOODS CURCH

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23

My favorite holiday is and always has been Christmas. As a little girl I would be so excited to open gifts on Christmas morning that I could barely sleep the night before.You know the butterfly in the stomach kind of excitement that leaves you giddy? That was me. Needless to say, Santa had a very short window to drop off gifts
at my house. Not much has changed, the idea of giving gifts and receiving gifts still makes my heart leap with excitement. In case you’re wondering, yes, gifts is one of my love languages.

Now in all my excitement to receive gifts over the years, not once have I ever been so captivated by the wrapping of a gift that I chose not to open the gift itself. Never once have I chosen to leave a gift in its original packaging to admire the look of the gift rather than to enjoy the purpose or the functionality of the gift. Honestly, that seems like such a waste to me. When someone takes the time to know me well enough to know what I want or need, I want to display the fullness of my gratitude for the gift by using it, enjoying it, and allowing it to be what the gift giver intended it to be. I have a great appreciation for beautiful gift wrapping, but the real beauty of a gift is always in the thought and intention behind the actual gift itself.

The giftest gift ever given was the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ. When God, the Father, gave us His Son, He did so from a place of great love with the intention of redemption and restoration. Scripture is clear: we have a sin problem and the wages of sin is death. However, God loves us so much that He beautifully wrapped up His Son Jesus Christ in human flesh and sent Him into the world to be the payment of our sin. This is a gift He has bestowed upon all mankind, and all we have to do is open the gift to receive the fullness of what God has given us. Yet, so many people like the gift of Jesus, but they never fully receive the gift of Jesus because they fail to unwrap the package. So often, people see the gift, they admire the gift, even get close enough to unwrap the gift — but then choose not to. Many people keep a beautifully wrapped Jesus in their lives but leave Him unopened. We can see Him in the ornate Bible that sits on a coffee table collecting dust. He is the “reason for the season,” but He is rarely thought of outside of Christmas and Easter. He is the cross that is dangling around a neck or tattooed on a body, yet the full power of that cross has never been realized because an unwrapped Jesus is an unreceived Jesus.

Let us not be confused: receiving the gift of Jesus is not about making Him our religious affiliation, it's not about admiring Him from afar, nor is it about seeking Him only when we need something from Him. Unwrapping the gift of Jesus, and fully receiving the gift of Jesus, only happens when we realize we need the gift of Jesus. Not the beautiful packaging of Jesus we see painted in cathedrals and nativity scenes, but the functionality of the Savior who sacrificed it all and paid the wage of our sin on the cross. We receive this gift when we make Jesus the Lord of our life. When we come to the realization that apart from Him we can do nothing. When we surrender every part of ourselves to Him. When we pursue His holiness. When we seek Him daily, growing in intimacy with Him, and falling more and more in love with the Savior that sacrificed it all to be the best gift ever given.

May we start this year remembering that Jesus didn’t die on the cross to be a beautifully adorned, unopened package tucked away in a corner of our lives. He came to give us the gift of life, to be the Lord of our lives, and to source every single thing we do. He is God with us. Whether we have walked with Him for years or if today is day one on our journey with Him, every day we should be grateful for the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ for He alone is our hope and salvation.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of Jesus. Not a Savior who is distant or detached from us, but One who came near to be with us and be like us. To evidence the truth of Your love and the fulfillment of Your promises. We fully receive the gift of our Savior. Making Him the Lord of our lives. Surrendering our own desires to the sourcing of the Holy Spirit to live and walk in obedience to you always. Our lives are given as an act of worship and an expression of gratitude to You for the greatest gift we will ever know, Jesus. In Your name we pray, amen.