RECEIVING THE GIFT
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12
The real message of Christmas makes this a special time of year. When I was a child, like most children, I greatly anticipated and enjoyed the Christmas season. However, I genuinely believe I enjoy the holiday even more with each passing year. In a concentrated way, we celebrate the birth of Christ and the giving of the greatest gift, when God gave His only Son.
A gift has not fulfilled its purpose until it has been received. When our Lord walked upon this earth, not everyone received Him. John 1:11 tells us, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Many rejected Jesus Christ. They rejected God’s greatest gift to man and His provision of salvation. The world that He created did not recognize Him. They did not know or appreciate Him, and thus did not receive Him. This sadly remains true today. Many people do not know who Jesus really is, and others refuse to receive Him as their Savior and Lord. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
Have you received Christ as your Savior? He came to this planet that He might give His perfect life as a sacrifice for our sins. God gave us His only Son. He wants to give us eternal life and forgiveness of sin. We all are guilty sinners. It is our sin that separates us from Holy God. We cannot save ourselves. When we repent to God of our wickedness, and by faith receive Christ as our Savior, He promises to save us. He gives us the privilege of becoming one of His children, and membership into His family. It is His gift, but we must receive Him. If you have never received Him, by faith receive Him today.
For those of us who have received Him, we know the blessings of being in Christ. God continues to give us grace, peace, strength, and purpose for all the days of our lives. As His children, we are the recipients of His abundant provision. We only receive Christ and His gift of salvation once; but day by day, we receive the gift of His sufficiency. God is our Father and our great Provider. We need His mercy and power each and every day. There is no limit to His resources that are available to those who receive Him. We can never earn God’s blessings; but by faith, we receive His benefits every day.