(John 3:16)
For God so loved the word, HE GAVE. Today is the day we celebrate the
greatest gift ever given. We celebrate today the birth of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, God's gift to the world. Today is truly a day of
rejoicing. Because of this gift from God, we can be forgiven of our sins,
and reunited with our Creator for eternity. So much of what I deal with
each
day in this devotional is to help you walk through this short journey here
on
earth victoriously and productively. But we must never forget that our time
here is very short, and there is an eternity waiting for us when this
journey
is completed. I want to focus for just a minute on this most blessed day,
to
that split second when our life on this earth is finished and we are
launched
into eternity. Do you this day have the assurance that when your life is
complete, your eternity is going to be spent in Heaven?
If the answer to that question is anything but a resounding YES, then let me
just share this simple truth with you. You see, our God, our Creator so
loved this world, so loved His creation, that He sent His son, His only Son
to be part of this world. Jesus had one mission in this life. It wasn't to
be a great teacher, though He was a great teacher. It wasn't to be a great
prophet, though He was a great prophet. It wasn't to be a great miracle
worker, though He did work many great miracles. No my friend, Jesus came to
this world with only one job...to die. You see, the reason it was vital for
Jesus to be born of a virgin was so that he was not infested with the same
problem you and I were born into this life with, sin. Otherwise, the best
He
could have done was die for His own sins. Jesus lived on this earth for
some
33 years before it was time to complete His work. That work was finished on
a cross on the hill called Calvary where He hung, and than died as the
perfect sacrifice for the sins of this world. That is why, whosoever
believes in Jesus, shall not perish for eternity, but have everlasting life!
Believing in Jesus is the only way to be saved because it was Jesus who died
and was sacrificed for our sins. There are no other ways to be saved, no
other roads back to God, and no other plans of salvation. This is
God's one and only plan to reconcile his fallen creation back to Himself.
This is the only way you can escape eternity apart from the God who created
you in His own image. It is through His grace and by faith in Jesus Christ!
There are many incredible mysteries in the Bible. There are many doctrinal
issues that will never be fully understood until we are in Heaven. But God
made the most important decision of this life very easy and simple to
understand. He gave every one the opportunity to have their sins washed
away
and be assured of an eternity in Heaven. That is why we celebrate Christmas
today. That is why we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The most
important decision you will make in this life is not who you will marry,
where you will live, or what kind of job you will have. The most important
decision you will make in this life is to accept Jesus Christ as your
personal Lord and Savior. If you have not done that yet, the Bible says
that
today is the day of salvation. I would invite you to go to my website,
www.liveprayer.com and click on the button that says PLAN OF SALVATION.
Read those words, pray that prayer, and accept today God's gift to
you this Christmas, the gift of His son Jesus.
I love you and care about you deeply. For those of you who already know
Christ as your Savior, I would encourage you to forward this email to
someone
you know who is lost and without hope this Christmas. What better present
to
give someone than the opportunity to know Jesus as their Savior. I pray
today you will take time out of the busy day of travel, visiting friends and
family, to focus on the gift God has given to us in His son Jesus. He gave
His very best gift to us, which is why I will continue to encourage you to
give your very best every day to Him.
