The gift that’s wanted, needed, or both …

Christmas gift-giving for parents can sometimes be a conundrum.

Without a doubt, children prefer to receive what they want (honestly, most of us do, which is why wise husbands don’t give their wives household appliances as Christmas gifts!).

But sometimes parents have only enough funds to give what their children need.

You might say our heavenly Father’s gift giving that first Christmas was mixed … kind of.

As it would turn out, God’s gift of a Messiah on the first Christmas would be a gift many would not want. For a while, they loved Him … when He was healing them, feeding them, and changing their lives with miracles. But the more He preached, the more they disliked what they were hearing, so the crowds withered and eventually would be more of a mob crying, “Crucify Him!”

Jesus was not the gift they wanted.

But He was the gift they all needed.

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard,”‭‭ Romans‬ ‭3:23‬.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord,”‭‭ Romans‬ ‭6:23‬.

What we all needed for Christmas was a Savior, so that’s what God gave us.

And so much more!

For those who would receive God’s gift, He’s exactly what we need, He’s all we could possibly want, and so much more!

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir,” Galatians‬ ‭4:4-7‬.

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding,”‭‭ Ephesians‬ ‭1:3-8.

Yes, Jesus is the gift we needed. If you receive Him, you discover He’s all you want. What’s the “so much more” part? This:

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him,’” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬.

You see, for those who have received God’s gift — Jesus as both Savior and Lord — it gets even better the second time He comes to Earth!

Until then, merry Christmas!

Scotty