My favorite gift

That’s me in the brown hair, seemingly stunned by the incredibleness of the gift I just opened. I’m gazing in delighted wonder at what, if I had been honest with myself, was a treasure beyond what I deserved. Maybe I was having an honest, humble moment there, and that’s why I was stunned silent . . . just taking in the unmerited glory of this gift before setting my fingertips to it.

It was a little toy pipe organ, exactly like this one, I believe. It was my favorite gift of all time . . . up to that time. And though I have no clear memories of delighting my family with repeated renditions of “Joy to the World” or “Jingle Bells,” I easily recall the joy and satisfaction it brought me.

You likely also have one or more favorite gifts you remember fondly. But no matter how incredibly special to you they were, they’re not even in the ballpark when compared to my favorite gift of all time . . . ever . . . that I received 34 years ago next month.

Every gift you’ve ever opened at Christmas will someday be destroyed, if it hasn’t been already. This gift is eternal, never tarnishes or decays, and no one can take it from me. In value it is far beyond anything else you could ever receive, up to and including the whole world.

It is the gift of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior of the world, whose incarnation we celebrate this season. When we submit to him in trusting faith we are given SO much, encapsulated in the concept and reality of eternal life. In this series I posted a few years ago I broke down this gift into 12 components . . . peace, belonging, freedom, the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, knowledge of God, confident hope, wisdom, an inheritance, comfort, joy, and salvation from the eternal consequences of our sin. If you have not received these, and would like to, please begin here and learn how they can be yours.

Two of my five brothers passed away a few years back . . . the two in the photo, admiring and probably envying my precious gift. Because of the graciousness of our God in sending his Son to die for us so that we might live with him, I believe I’ll see these dear brothers again someday.

Have you received THE Gift? It is waiting for you under the tree on which Jesus died. Don’t let it remain unopened. I guarantee you once you humbly accept and open what the God of the universe has freely given you, it will be unequivocally your absolutely most undeniably favorite gift of all time . . . ever.