For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.¹

Children (and some adults, too!) wake up on Christmas morning and see gifts of all shapes and sizes wrapped beautifully under the tree and their eyes grow large with wonder! They try to guess which of those boxes is theirs and might even sneak a peek at what their gift might be! You can’t always tell what’s inside the gift until, of course, you unwrap it. And then, it may not be what you expected.

When God's people were awaiting their Savior, their Messiah, they were expecting a mighty, earthly king with a shining, gold crown to come bounding in on a white horse and defeat all their enemies. They didn't get who they expected, but Jesus was exactly who they needed. Jesus was The Best Gift anyone could receive. Jesus was a baby King born in a humble surrounding. He had come to defeat the real enemy. Jesus came to save us from our sin and He would turn the world upside down by showing people God's love.²

Today, many seek their salvation in different colored boxes of different sizes. They reject the humbly wrapped gift that is freely theirs. Jesus didn’t come to us wrapped with pretty bows, but the gift he brought us is the true wonder of Christmas! Jesus came to bring us abundant and eternal life in Him. What are you waiting for? Open the Gift! It’s yours.

Suggested Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the Gift you gave us. Thank you for giving us your Son. I pray for those who haven’t unwrapped it to accept your most precious Gift today! In Jesus’ name, amen.

1.    John 3:16-18 (NIV).

2.    Excerpt taken in part from, “A Christmas Mystery”, Hillsong.com

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.