• The Gift of Christmas (A Christmas Devotional)

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    Christmas means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But when we strip away the presents and traditions and the wrapping and shopping and look instead to the story of the very first Christmas, we see that Christmas is more than a holiday. It's more than a celebration. It's more than an occasion. You can say Christmas is the greatest story ever told but I'd say it's beyond that because Christmas isn't just the story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Christmas, the birth of Christ, set into motion events that have changed my life from the inside out and can change yours too.

    You see, humanity has a problem. We live in a world darkened by the presence of sin. We experience sadness and death and heartbreak and disease and life can seem hopeless and filled with darkness. But the events of that very first Christmas can change all of that. 

    A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS


    Centuries before the birth of Christ the prophet Isaiah described the coming Messiah like this:

    "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine." Isaiah 9:2 NLT


    When Jesus came to our earth on that very first Christmas He did just that. He brought light into the darkness, a promise to all who would follow of a never ending light that could not be put out. The book of John describes Jesus' arrival like this:

    "The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:4-5 NLT


    So what is Christmas? It was a moment in history when the light switch got flipped on, when the Son of God became a man to one day die for our sins, to bring all those who believe eternal life when this one is over and to change our lives here and now.

    The gift of Jesus brings light to the darkness, hope for the hopeless, peace for those in turmoil, comfort for those in pain and life for those facing death. The prophet Isaiah a few verses later in that same chapter we got that earlier verse from described the coming Savior like this: 

    "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


    1 in 100 trillion


    The person Isaiah was talking about is Jesus. Did you know that the birth and life of Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 prophecies, all of which were given hundreds of years before his birth? The odds of any one person being able to fulfill a few of these prophecies are quite slim, but statistics tells us that the odds of one person fulfilling all 300 prophecies is 1 in 100 trillion. Not 1 in a billion. Or 1 in a trillion. But 1 in 100 trillion!

    The Jewish people were given prophecy after prophecy, promise after promise from God of this coming Messiah, this Emmanuel whose name literally means God with us. They lived in the darkness and waited for the fulfillment of the promise for generation after generation before Jesus came. You and I are on the other side of that. We were born into the darkness of this world, but we don't have to wait to embrace the hope, the love and the light of Christ. He has already come! He was born, lived and died and has bridged the gap between a holy God and a sinful man. We don't need to wait and walk in darkness for one moment longer, the promise has been delivered, the only question is will it be received? It doesn't require a religious ceremony. You don't have to clean up your life before you try to approach God. It doesn't work that way. The Bible tells us "if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead we will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Saved from the consequences of sin, delivered into eternal life once this one is over and given peace, hope, joy, love and light knowing no matter what we face in this life we never will face it alone. We can be introduced to this Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Doesn't that sound like someone you want to know?

    If you've never stopped to consider the birth of Christ and what Jesus means to you, please do so right now and don't wait a moment longer. 

    Gifts We Receive From Christ


    Because of Christ and His presence in my life I've been given strength to get through pain that should have broken me. 

    I've experienced peace that has comforted me and chased away panic even when I was in an emergency situation that could have taken my life. 

    I no longer worry about the future as I know with confidence He has it taken care of and I can trust God with it.

    I'm not haunted by the regrets of yesterday but I know because of Jesus the slate has been wiped clean. 

    It's no exaggeration to say Jesus has changed me from the inside out and He can do the same for you. That is the gift of Christmas and it is a gift I hope and pray you will accept, even now. If you have any questions about Jesus please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. Reach out on the MAD Facebook page or email me at madradioshow@hotmail.com. Closing off with a quote from Corrie Ten Boom:

    "Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life."


    Return To The Impact Devotional Archive