The Jesus born on Christmas day was God’s gift to the world, but if that’s true (and it is), then what exactly are we getting for Christmas?
This week we are going to unwrap Christmas looking at a different gift each day…
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:14 NIV
Peace! It’s an amazing word. In the cluttered life in which we live, peace is a word we strive to achieve. Peace is something we all need…and the faster the world gets…the more peace we need….
Let me ask you a question: What if you gave me a gift, but I never opened it? I wouldn’t even know what was inside, because I never bothered to take the pretty wrapping off the box. What if I told you, “It’s just too pretty. I didn’t want to mess it up, so I never opened the gift!”? Would you be quick to buy me another one?
Too often, I think we fail to open the gifts of Christmas.
The Bible says “grants peace”. You can’t grant what you don’t own. God owns peace! God, the Creator of the universe, has control over peace. We tend to look for peace in many different places. Some of us look for peace in our work, in trying to earn more money, in a spouse or friends. Unfortunately, some attempt to find peace in a bottle or by going from one bad relationship to another.
Real peace, that gut deep, total contentment, is a gift from God. Real peace comes from knowing God, through Jesus Christ. Real peace comes from recognizing that God is who He says He is and will do as He says He will; that His love for us never fades, and that He offers complete forgiveness to all who seek Him. Real peace comes from placing our complete trust in the Savior who is Christ the Lord.
This Christmas, unwrap the gift of peace!
Do you fill more or less peaceful this year than you did the year before? What in your life most gives you peace?
God’s gift of peace has been on my mind this Christmas, too. What I’ve discovered this year is that peace doesn’t just happen. Peace comes from the Prince of Peace, and I must be connected to Him to receive it and experience it. My level of peace is directly correlated to my relationship with Jesus. Just as you have to open the gift, peace is something that must also be put into action. God has been teaching me that peace isn’t just a state of being, it’s a state of living. Thanks for reminding me of this as this week begins!
Thanks Jill…you are absolutely right!