Daily Devotional for Monday December 25, 2006

For God so Loved the World, He Gave

(John 3:16)

The greatest gift you can give anyone this Christmas are the words of everlasting life. Forward this to someone that you know who is lost, and pray that God will open their hearts to receive HIS gift to the world... JESUS CHRIST!

Today is the day we celebrate the greatest gift ever given. We celebrate today the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God's gift to the world. Today is truly a day of rejoicing. Because of this gift from God, we can be forgiven of our sins and reunited with our Creator for eternity.

So much of what I deal with each day in this Devotional is to help you walk through this short journey here on earth victoriously and productively. But we must never forget that our time here is very brief and there is an eternity waiting for us when this journey is complete. I want to focus for just a minute on this most blessed day, to that split second when our life on this earth is finished and we are launched into eternity. Do you this day have the assurance that when your life is complete, your eternity is going to be spent in Heaven?

If the answer to that question is anything but a resounding YES, then let me just share this simple truth with you. You see, our God, our Creator so loved this world, so loved His creation, that He sent His son, His only Son to be part of this world. Jesus had one mission in this life. It wasn't to be a great teacher, though He was a great teacher. It wasn't to be a great prophet, though He was a great prophet. It wasn't to be a great miracle worker, though He did work many great miracles. No my friend, Jesus came to this world with only one job...to die.

You see, the reason it was vital for Jesus to be immaculately conceived by God and born of a virgin was so that He was not infected with the same problem you and I were born into this life with....sin. Otherwise, the best He could have done was die for His own sins. Jesus lived on this earth for some 33 years before it was time to complete His work. That work was finished on a cross on the hill called Calvary where He hung and then died as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of this world.

That is why, whosoever believes in Jesus, shall not perish for eternity, but have everlasting life! Believing in Jesus is the only way to be saved because it was Jesus who died and was sacrificed for our sins. There are no other ways to be saved, no other roads back to God, there are no other plans of salvation. This is God's one and only plan to reconcile his fallen creation back to Himself. This is the only way you can escape eternity apart from the God who created you in His own image. It is through His grace and by faith in Jesus Christ!

There are many incredible mysteries in the Bible. There are many doctrinal issues that will never be fully understood until we are in Heaven. But God made the most important decision of this life very easy and simple to understand. He gave every one the opportunity to have their sins washed away and be assured of an eternity in Heaven.

That is why we celebrate Christmas today! That is why we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The most important decision you will make in this life is not who you will marry, where you will live, what kind of job you will have. The most important decision you will make in this life is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

If you have not done that yet, the Bible says that today is the day of salvation. I would invite you to go to my website, www.liveprayer.com and click on the button that says PLAN OF SALVATION (direct link: www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html ). Read those words, pray that prayer, and accept today God's gift to you this Christmas, the gift of His son Jesus.

I love you and care about you deeply. For those of you who already know Christ as your Savior, I would encourage you to forward this email to someone you know who is lost and without hope this Christmas. What better present to give someone than the opportunity to know Jesus as their Savior.

I pray today that you will take time out of the busy day of travel, visiting friends and family, to focus on the gift God has given to us in His son Jesus. He gave His very best gift to us, which is why I will continue to encourage you to give your very best everyday to Him.

May you and your family have a most blessed celebration of our Lord's birth!