For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Years ago, I remember standing in a check-out line at the store when the cover of a popular magazine caught my eye. On it, I saw a beautiful picture of a faraway galaxy and underneath it the question, “Who is God?”
That question is the question of the ages. Since the dawn of humanity, Christians and non-Christians alike have sought more and more insight into that question. And though we as believers know God through the person of Jesus Christ, fully understanding who He is and how He works is a process that’s never complete.
Over 2,000 years ago, wise men looked to the heavens and saw a star that made them ask that same question: “Who is God?” These men who came from a very different culture and religion than the Jews somehow knew that this star heralded the birth of the King of the Jews. And not only that, but this King was deserving of worship – a divine King!
These men asked, “Who is God?” and found Him lying in a manger. It must have been quite a surprise for a divine King to be found in such humble circumstances. Yet, because of their faith, the magi knew the Lord when they found Him.
If you want to know who God is, look no further than Jesus Christ. In Him, the fullness of God dwelt in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). Know Jesus, and you’ll know God.
If you want to know God, know Jesus, in whom the fullness of God dwells in human form.
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12 NLT, second edition)
Turn on your television or surf the Web this Christmas, and you’ll discover all sorts of Christmas messages. But for the One who invented Christmas — God — there’s only one message that really matters.
God wants to share eternity with you.
That’s what Christmas is all about. You weren’t created just to live 80 or 90 years on Earth and then die. You’re far more valuable than that to God. God has some long-range plans for you. He made you to live forever.
One day your heart will stop. That’ll be the end of your heart, but it won’t be the end of you. You’ll last for eternity — trillions of years! And God wants you to be a part of his family.
He sent Jesus to Earth as a baby so one day he could die for your sins, and then you can spend forever with him.
That’s the great news of Christmas. This offer is available to anyone. The Bible says of Jesus, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 NLT, second edition).
God wants to spend eternity with you, so he made the way to him simple: You believe, and you receive. You believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, and you receive him into your life. God sent his Son to Earth 2015 years ago to die for you. That’s God’s very first Christmas gift, sent to you thousands of years before you were even born.
Honestly, celebrating Christmas and not receiving the number one gift God has for you is dumb. Do that, and you’re missing the point entirely. Acts 10:35 says, “It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from — if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open” (MSG).
No matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, you’ve got a place in God’s forever family ready and waiting for you. The invitation is wide open. Just believe and receive.
Are you ready? What are you waiting for?
You can learn more about how you can believe and accept the Good News about Jesus on my website at rickwarren.org/know-god. Please let me know if you make the decision to follow Jesus. I’d like to pray for you! Write me at rick@rickwarren.org. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over
Have you accepted God’s number one gift for you this Christmas? Are you ready? What are you waiting for?
If God sent Jesus to Earth to die for you, what does that say about your value to him?
Think about your Christmas plans. What can you do to emphasize to your family and friends that God’s ultimate gift was sending his Son to die for them?
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