What is the greatest gift you have ever received at Christmas? Maybe it was a special gift you received as a child. Maybe it was something later in life. I doubt at the top of the list were those socks you got from grandma, although you know you needed them. As the years have passed, I have learned it is not the presents under the tree that matter more than those around it. It’s not about getting ‘the next thing’ but having a home where Christ is cherished and His selfless love is practiced. A home where everyone understands we need God’s forgiveness and quite often, we need forgiveness from each other too. Would a child rather have all the toys in the world, or a house filled with the warmth of God’s love and the warmth of selfless relationships? We know the answer but still there's this gravitational pull that their happiness is dependent on stuff, they need more stuff! Did you know that your desire for the warmth of relationship reveals something deeper about you and I? If you are hardwired for relationship that MUST mean whoever hardwired you wants a relationship with you too. GOD WANTS A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU! Galatians 4:4-5 says, “God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” God sent His Son to “buy freedom for us” and “adopt us as his very own children.” This means you can’t buy into this relationship with money or good works. You can’t earn God’s forgiveness but must receive it by faith. Start with this relationship and you’ll find it is the key to every relationship.
Merry CHRISTmas!