Has the gospel changed your life? I mean really changed the way you live, the way you think, the way you respond, the way you love? If you know that it hasn’t or you’re a bit unsure, then you have yet to unwrap the greatest gift you have ever been given.
This gift that we celebrate every year at this time, Jesus Christ, was given to every one of us, and it is meant to be unwrapped and loved, and even treasured. It’s not meant to sit quietly, beautifully wrapped under the glow of the Christmas tree, no matter how perfect it looks enveloped in gold with a perfect glimmering red bow on top. With the excitement of a child who just knows by the size and weight of the gift exactly what’s inside, the one they have been waiting for and longing for, we can tear open the paper, toss aside all the pretty embellishments, and grasp this gift with all that we have, shouting our excitement and praise, dancing to the beat of our song.
This gift even comes with its own power source, but without it, it will never work. Try as you might in all your strength, it will never come to life without its intended power source – the Holy Spirit.
So, if you feel like you’ve opened this gift, but it just isn’t working, look for the power source, the Holy Spirit, that comes included. Connect with the power and spend every moment with eyes of wonder and curiosity, discovering all that this gift, Jesus, has to offer. Your entire lifetime isn’t long enough to discover it all, but every day promises to bring a new adventure on a journey that will carry you to His throne and to His grace. It never stops giving, it never stops working, and it will always deliver hope, peace, joy, and love.
Ephesians 4:20-24 – Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Romans 8:2, 10-11 – And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.