Christ: Giver and Gift

My first Christmas in Australia was memorable.  I can't remember the last time I had a fever on Christmas Eve and Christmas!  I am now feeling better after a bout of "gastro," which involved chills, fever, nausea, and overall feeling lousy.  At a point I was wondering if I would be able to deliver the Sunday message.  But I figured God had given me a message to deliver, and He wouldn't have given me the message without the strength to deliver it.  Preaching was very much an act of faith on a different level, and that's how I ought to live every day!

This morning in prayer I was struck by the truth of Psalm 23:6:  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."  God does not grant goodness and mercy to men because some are more deserving than others.  It is all through the riches of His grace.  Goodness and mercy were granted me both on a sickbed and in health.  Not only do born-again Christians have this promise in life, but also lay hold of the ultimate promise of living forever in the presence of God.  Wherever a person goes, the goodness and mercy of God follows them.  Christians are simply the ones who receive this goodness and mercy through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  It is Jesus who opens our eyes to see.

Christ is both Giver and Gift.  He is life for all who trust in Him.  In the days following Christmas, millions of people will return unwanted gifts back to retailers for money or store credit.  For many, Jesus is tragically one of the most often returned, unopened gifts.  Yet there is no gift more valuable!  The story of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection is more than a curious legend we tolerate for one day of the year:  it is the miracle of love come down from heaven so all sinners could be saved.  God has given the greatest gift in Christ.  To think that some people keep their trinkets, games, and digital devices but return unopened the love, redemption, and reconciliation with God afforded man through Jesus!

Let us celebrate the joy of Jesus every day, regardless of the season.  Every day is the season of celebrating our Saviour!