Well, it may not be a white Christmas here in Mississippi, but are you dreaming of one? Whether it snows or not, this holiday season is always beautiful because every Christmas is an open invitation from God to every person on planet earth to experience hope, peace, joy, and love through Christ Jesus. We’re thinking on these blessings this week, and today we’ll focus on love.

Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

We often get asked: what was the greatest gift you got this Christmas? But since it’s better to give than to receive, do you ever think about the greatest gift you GAVE this Christmas?

God the Father would have no trouble answering that question. Without a doubt, Jesus Christ is the greatest gift He ever gave. Jesus wasn’t wrapped in pretty paper and laid under a tree. No, more glorious than that, He was wrapped in human flesh and then wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger.

And He wasn’t just given to one person like most gifts. No, Jesus was given to the entire world.

But why was He given? The simple answer is love. God loved the world SO MUCH that He gave us the greatest gift He could ever give, His only-begotten Son, Jesus, so that we would be saved from sin and death and have life everlasting with God.

This Christmas, as God the Father has loved us by giving us the gift of Jesus Christ, the King of kings salvation brings; let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Merry CHRIST-mas!

Change begins in you!