Dec
26
The Gift
Filed Under Devotional
We’ve had more snow and ice this week than this city is used to. We’re prepared for a day or two, but some places have been snowed in for over a week. The fact that this stretched over Christmas really threw some holiday plans up in the air. What fascinated me was how people reacted to having to change their plans.
Some just rolled with it and made the best Christmas out of the situation. Others flipped out. For some, it just isn’t Christmas without the normal family traditions, dinners, and ceremonies. If your Christmas is empty without these things, then something is missing in your life.
During a discussion about eating food sacrificed to idols, Paul makes this relevant observation:
“But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.” 1 Corinthians 8:8
Food and ceremony do not make Christmas. The gift of God is what we remember and the salvation it offers us:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Don’t get hung up on the tradition. Just remember the Gift.