One of my happiest childhood Christmas memories is waiting for twelve midnight to open Christmas gifts. We even do countdowns, and boy, how frustrated would I get if my mom would ask all of us kids to eat Noche Buena first before opening the gifts. I felt like the gifts were all there, waiting for me to finally unwrap them, and here I am needing to finish my Chinese ham, queso de bola, pasta, and what not.
Like the gifts waiting to be opened under the Christmas Tree, the gift of salvation is waiting to be received and accepted by us. Jesus Christ’s offer to save us from our sins, and give us a new life stands, but we have to come to Him and accept it.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
So in this season, may we remember that Jesus is offering us the best gift of all. The Gift of reconciliation with God the Father — the gift of eternal life — the privilege of being in heaven with Him.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
So what does it mean when we accept His free gift of salvation? Once we decide to receive His wonderful gift, Jesus Christ will start being the Lord of our life. We will step away from our sinful lifestyle, and start living a life that honors Him. This means, obeying His teachings and commands and making choices that are consistent with biblical values.
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:2-3
It also means growing our faith — we will endeavor to know Him more by praying everyday, and reading and reflecting on His words. We will also seek Him alongside other believers by studying His word with them, and going to church every Sunday.
By living a life of worship, we will be more aware of God’s presence in our life. We will be in tuned more with His guidance, and we will get to align our will with His will for our life. We will truly enjoy the new life that He promises — devoid of the guilt and shame that hounds us back when we were living a sinful life, yet to be reconciled with God.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on John 15:4-8 and 1 John 5:1-5 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Have you received God’s gift of salvation?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the chance to reconcile with you and live a new life through Jesus Christ. Grant me the grace to remain faithful to you. Amen.
