Happy Christmas!

What in the world is the meaning of Christmas?

Christmas is back in town – familiar colors of red, green & white everywhere. Oh yes, don’t forget that old man with a white beard and a pot belly with a bag of many exciting gifts. Shopping malls play Christmas carols selling a whole range of Christmas merchandise – There are many things to like about this season – who wouldn’t like nice cookies, good clothes, great weather, lovely family times, gift exchanges, parties, Cake, carol singing and more. But is there all to Christmas? Have you wondered what Christmas is really about? There must be more to Christmas than just this. Let’s look to the Bible for real answers.

 

The motivation for Christmas

Christmas in its essence is about true love. The Bible says in John 3:16“ For God so loved the World…”

God loves you. God loves everyone in this world. The reality is that we all have turned back from God and have rejected Him and His authority over our lives. Sin alienated us from God. It does not take a rocket scientist to tell us that something is terribly wrong with our world today. A 20-year-old boy from an affluent suburb gunning down 26 of them of whom most were killed from ages 6 and 7 is not a sign of good life. Whether it is the affluent society of New York or the busy streets of India we find such stories becoming common. There’s injustice, crime, violence, abuse – the list can go on for long. Mankind in many ways has become un-lovable but God loves us unconditionally. Christmas is about the love of God. God so loved the world…His love is unconditional and patient. It is this love that motivated God to incarnate into the world as a mere Man in the person of Jesus Christ.

The measure of Christmas

The Bible says, For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son.

God becoming Man is a reflection of God’s measure of love for Mankind. Giving is at the center of Christmas. Giving not because it is convenient but because it is an expression of deep love. Giving lavishly is a sign of rich generosity. God’s measure of love was nothing short of lavish generosity. He gave his only begotten Son. What this means is that He came into this world in human form – this is incarnation and not re-incarnation. Man had lost the ability to hear from God as Sin turned disabled him to hear from God everyday. The love of God made it possible for Man to understand the nature & character of God through God’s visible image in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus being God not only came as a human but also remained sinless and ultimately became a sacrifice for Mankind on the cross. This is a sign of true love. Love sacrifices generously and that’s exactly what Jesus did. He gave himself up for saving us. That’s the measure of Christmas – we will do well to reflect on it as it can change our lives forever.

The message of Christmas

The Bible goes onto say, For God so love the world that he gave his only begotten Son and that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life…”

 

Most people living today are just surviving. There is a big difference between surviving and living. The latter is pure, purposeful and passionate. People with real passion seldom live by Oxygen alone. They are inspired by something far deeper. The message of Christmas is that we can live by the very breath of God. Oxygen is a free gift of God that enables us to live in this temporary world and the breath of God is a free gift to live for eternity both in this world and the world to come. God came down to Earth not punish mankind but save it. We were created to live forever not perish forever – this is the message of Christmas. Jesus is not just a good teacher who walked the Earth with good principles but He is truth personified, love demonstrated, and life surrendered with the sole purpose of winning Mankind without force or pressure.. That leads us to the miracle of Christmas…

The miracle of Christmas

For God so love the world that he gave his only begotten Son and that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life…”

God is all-powerful and yet all personal. He could have given us no choice but He gives us this choice to accept Him without force or pressure. The miracle of Christmas is really possible when you accept Him into your life and allow Him to breathe fresh life into you.  Jesus came into the world some 2000 years ago and walked the Earth but He can come into your life right now if you would just turn around and ask Him to takeover your life. Make him your boss and it will never go wrong. It will not be easy to live a surrendered life but it will be pure, purposeful and passion filled. The miracle of Christmas is when you listen to His words and yield to Him…consider what Jesus says,

“Come unto me all you that are weary and tired and I WILL GIVE YOU REST.”

The miracle of Christmas is not about joining a religion but getting into a relationship with Christ. The miracle of Christmas is not about finding 4 steps of achieving spiritual nirvana but coming to Christ just as we are because He will accept us and love us just the way we are. It will be His love that will cause us to repent and change our ways. Even if we feel our life is shattered into many broken pieces He is ready to take all those pieces of mess and re-build our life and recreate us into His original design. Will you choose to allow Christ to birth a miracle in your life today?

Happy Christmas!

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