What’s your takeaway value of Christmas? I hope it’s not just some unwrapped presents and fun memories. There’s nothing wrong with those, of course. But the meaning of Christmas is so much more than fun times with family, delicious food or beautiful decorations. The message of Christmas is this: God loves you dearly and he even sent his only son to save you and bring you back to him.

And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception). (John 1:14, AMP,*)

Thankfully God saw our wretchedness and knew he had to do something because we were not able to help ourselves. And he did not do just something, he came to the world as an infant to save us. This indescribable gift means we can be forgiven in Jesus, we can by grace be made right with God. All this because God loves us more than we can fathom.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath]. (1 John 4:10, AMP,*)

Takeaway value of Christmas

If you let it, Christmas changes everything for you. When your identity is God’s beloved, you view yourself in a very different light, divine light. And when you keep on receiving love upon love and grace upon grace, you start treating, not only yourself but others differently too. That’s God’s grace in action. Let it permeate every inch of your soul, let Jesus settle in your heart and you will be richly blessed every day of the year.

The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
    a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
    he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17, NRSV,*)

So I hope your takeaway value of Christmas is God’s love towards you. You are God’s beloved. Truly and thoroughly. God loves you and there are no ifs or buts. Just pure love upon love. Receive it. Revel in it. Rejoice in it! Just like God rejoices over you with gladness.

Gracious God,
Your love is so exuberant we have a hard time to grasp it.
Help us to do so.
We want to embrace your love as our new normal.
Help us to live in your love and pass it on to others.
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen

Q4U: What is your takeaway value of Christmas?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you embrace God’s love for you!

Photo by Hamburger Arts on Unsplash.