The Gift That's Freely GivenSample

When we think of Christmas time, we think of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. But this celebration is about much more than a single day. His coming to earth and what He came to accomplish were planned long before the event of His birth took place. Long before the Son of God took His first breath here on earth, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit determined a plan that would provide the greatest gift to all humanity: the free gift of grace through Jesus, the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God.

Jesus’ birth set into motion the greatest plan to ever unfold. But this plan was laid out long before His arrival on earth as a baby. We see in Genesis 3:15 the promise of One to come that would crush the head of Satan. Revelation 13:8 reveals that the Lamb of God was slain even before the foundation of the world. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, the Word points to the life and sacrifice of Jesus. He was always intended to be the free gift of grace and salvation to the world. Jesus was undoubtedly the most well-thought-out, costly, loving, undeserved gift ever to be given. Though a free gift to us, it cost the Father everything. Yet He counted the cost and found His lost children worth the life of His beloved Son.

During the next few days, remember that we are not simply celebrating Jesus’ birth. We celebrate that long before His birth, the Son willingly submitted to the plan of the Father to come into the world as a baby to fulfill the salvation plan of redeeming a lost and dying world. As you spend time with the Father today, meditate on His great sacrifice and thank Him for His costly decision to send His Son to earth out of love and the Son’s humble, willing obedience to come.