Why I'm Grateful for Christmas
By Meg Bucher
“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!” - 2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT
The holiday season kicks off with a reminder to be thankful. Gratitude is a powerful mentality. When we force a smile onto our faces, it actually triggers positive thoughts in our minds! The world is a difficult place, but God is bigger. His faithfulness gives us strength. God loves us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to save us.
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLT
To this, let us force our faces into a smile if we have to this holiday season, in gratitude for:
Forgiveness
“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NLT
Jesus has the authority to forgive sin. We cannot remove the guilt and shame that the world and our enemy heaps on us for everything we are acutely aware we miss the mark on. But God doesn’t see us that way. He chooses to view us through the filter of forgiveness we receive through Christ Jesus. When we confess our sins, we are forgiven. The weight of guilt and shame have no power over us.
Hope
"All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).” Isaiah 7:14 NLT
Immanuel …God with us. We are never alone. Jesus came to earth, born a baby in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph. He grew up experiencing humanity similar to the way we do! Though we cannot live the sinless life He did, He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us, always. “To the end of every age …” Scripture proclaims. In Him, we have a hope which will never cease. The reality of who Jesus is gives us hope in who …and Whose …we are.
The Word of God.
“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:14 NLT
The Bible is not just a collection of amazing stories; it contains the history of God’s people and His plan to redeem and restore them. Christ was there in the beginning. Jesus is the Living Word of God. In Him, we find the peace of prophecy fulfilled and powerful wisdom to guide us in our daily lives in the purpose we were always meant to walk in.
Peace
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:14 NLT
The moment we receive Christ Jesus as our Savior, peace rushes in with His Holy Spirit. As the apostle Paul wrote, the peace of God surpasses all understanding. The powerful peace we possess as we follow Jesus grows alongside the other fruits of the Spirit in our lives. Daily, His peace is with us. When we embrace and operate in it, we bring glory to God as our lives were meant to.
Salvation
“The Savior- yes, the Messiah, the Lord- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:11 NLT
Salvation is the surrender of our lives into the hands of our Lord Jesus. He came to earth, to live out the will of God, and sacrifice His life for the forgiveness of our sins. When we welcome into our hearts, we are new creations! “The old has gone, the new has come,” the Bible says! Salvation is new life, in Christ. Life replete of shame and guilt, and overflowing with freedom.
God’s Faithfulness
“And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” Luke 2:6-7 NLT
God is faithful. “Great is his faithfulness;” Lamentations 3:23 proclaims, “his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Every day, we wake to the tune of God’s sovereign plan for our lives. The dictionary defines faithfulness as lasting loyalty and trustworthiness. The verses above from the Gospel of Luke demonstrate why the Lord can be trusted. Jesus’ birth was foretold and fulfilled, leaving no doubt about who He is …or who sent Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NLT
Christmas is a time to reflect on God’s love for us. He is not concerned with our failures and flaws as much as He loves us for the people He created us to be—each unique and specifically purposed. No one is accidental. God knits every person together and knows the number of hairs on each head. We are loved.
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17 NLT
Let’s let the power of gratitude flip our perspective this holiday season. Christmas is a season that proclaims peace and hope. Jesus came to earth, so we would understand how to live to the fullest …by following Him.
Further Reading
Luke 2:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
Photo credit: Rodion Kutsaev/Unsplash.com
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