For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
–ROMANS 6:23
I’ve told the story before of a man who was getting ready to put a sign in his yard that said “N-O-E-L” to spread some Christmas cheer. It was a cold night, a snowstorm hit, and the man was trying to put the letters up from behind instead of facing them. He fumbled and bumbled, and said some very un-Christmas-like things in the process.
He finally finished, plugged in the lights and promptly forgot about them. The next morning, he awoke to a foot of snow on the ground. He went outside to take a look at his sign and noticed he put the letters up backwards, “L-E-O-N.” Now, his neighbor across the street was named Leon. And when he saw him fixing the sign he said, “Man, I thought that was just for me!”
When God came in Christ, He came for you. It wasn’t a mistake. It was a gift with your name on it, a gift Jesus purchased. And the question of Christmas is whether or not we’re willing to open that gift and receive it by faith, or simply let it sit under the tree.
The greatest gift of Christmas is the gift of salvation. In fact, the very name of Jesus means, “God saves.” Receive that gift, be saved by faith, and you’ll experience eternal life!
(To obtain a free copy of “The Cost of Christmas,” a 25-day advent devotional go to jackgraham.org, call 800-414-7693, or request it online at email@powerpoint.org.)
