December 18th
The first Christmas gift was a different kind of gift. It could not be wrapped. It could not be given a price. It was not earned. It was not expected. It was a gift given without expectation or manipulation. It was the one thing Mary needed the most but could not buy for herself.
The older we get, the more expensive our gifts become.
From toy cars to bicycles. From bicycles to video gaming systems. From games to cars. The prices keep rising.
Then, at some point in journey, the price is no longer the problem.
More than another car, we want friends. Then from friends, we move to contentment. Then peace of mind. Then health. As the years advance, so does the complexity and cost of the gifts. We eventually get to the point where the things that we want most are the things we can’t buy.
What Mary’s life was like before the gift, we can only guess. What we do know is that the gift God gave her that first Christmas was personalized and customized. God chose to give her His favor and His presence.
It is a reminder that, in the end, the things that change our lives are not played with, ridden, or driven.
There will never be a gift you receive as valuable as the favor of God on you and the presence of God with you.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
Luke 1:26-37
Right now, take a moment to ask God for the gift of His favor on your life. Ask Him to shine on you and work through you. Then thank Him for the gift of His presence with you. His love for you is unconditional. He will never leave you or forsake you.