2 Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (KJV)

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (KJV)

During the Christmas season, one of my students asked me why we give gifts for Christmas. I explained to her that we give to remember that God gave us the most wonderful, perfect gift. He gave us His only Son, Jesus, because God loves us so much that He didn't want us to go to hell. Jesus gave us the gift of salvation by willingly going to the cross to die for us. No one took His life; Jesus gave it. Because we are grateful to God for this wonderful gift of love, we want to show our love to others by giving them gifts.

We take our time finding the perfect gifts for those special people. We look for ones that fit their personality and will be something they really want. Often, it is a difficult task to find those gifts. However, God knew that His gift would be perfect for everyone and anyone. God gave the gift of salvation to the world. Jesus willingly gave His life as a gift for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus didn't wait for us to deserve the gift — like Santa does — because even "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 KJV)

Jesus has His arms stretched out, waiting for us to take the gift that He is offering. It is the perfect gift:

• It benefits all people.
• It is eternal.
• It is life, joy, and peace.
• It heals broken hearts and fixes shattered lives.
• It is wrapped in perfect love.
• It is guaranteed to enrich all mankind.
• It will allow us to spend eternity in heaven.
• It is free!

It is the perfect gift that God gave a lost and undeserving world, but it is the perfect gift only if it is received. We decide whether we want to accept the gift that Jesus offers, or to ignore Him and walk away. We decide if we want to have eternal life and peace of heart and mind, or if we want to continue with life our way — but that way leads to eternal death. God freely gave; Jesus freely gave. Jesus is the perfect gift because although He is holy and without sin, He chose to become sin to free us from eternal death by giving us eternal life.

May we all see that, yes, Christmas means receiving the perfect gift — the gift of salvation — the gift of an abundant life full of God's love, mercy, goodness, and faithfulness here on earth, and eternal life in heaven with Him.

Prayer: Lord, help us to receive Your perfect gift, the only gift that brings true joy and satisfaction. Amen.