God's Gift to Us (Part 2)
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.—Isaiah 9:6
We celebrate Christmas in order to rejoice over God's most precious gift to us. The birth of Jesus Christ is a gift from God that came in simple wrapping, as well as a gift we don't deserve. But the gift of Christ also explains His purpose for humankind.
The gift of Christ was no afterthought. Long before there was a stable in Bethlehem, before Adam and Eve ever set eyes on each other, and even before there existed a garden called Eden, God decided to send His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.
From the beginning, God knew humankind would fall short of His glory. That is why the Scriptures proclaim that Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8).
God made a decision from the very beginning that Christ would come to this earth to live and die and rise again from the dead. God's gift to us proves His purpose to redeem us.
The gift of Jesus Christ is what Christmas is all about. Jesus came near to us so we could come near to Him.
Christmas is not about tinsel or shopping or gifts under a tree. Christmas is about the gift God gave on the tree where Christ died for our sins, giving us the gift of eternal life.
That is what He has accomplished. This is the gift He extends. And if you receive it, you will experience the merriest Christmas of all.
Today, on the A New Beginning radio broadcast, I shared a reason why you should support Harvest: because you understand we are not supposed to keep this to ourselves. We are supposed to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. We are commanded by Jesus Himself to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
As 2010 comes to a close and you consider your year-end giving plans, can I invite you to include Harvest in those plans? The last few days of the year are a critical time, as we seek to finish the year in the black financially—with all of our ministry expenses from this year met. Your year-end gift, no matter the size, will help to meet this last challenge of 2010.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
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Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.