A Very Merry Christmas: 2000 Years Ago

In years past, I have never really dug into Christmas the way I have this year. I knew that the LORD was supposed to be the center of Christmas, but it was all very surface level. I did not look into it too much. This year though, I wanted to see what this was all about on a deeper level. I picked up " The Purpose Of Christmas" by Rick Warren and began reading four days before Christmas, causing me to finish on Christmas Eve because of the sections. He talks of celebration, salvation and reconciliation. It really is a wonderful little book and I highly recommend it. Especially if you want to dig deeper into why Jesus came.
Many of you, like me know that Jesus came and made Himself known on December 25, about 2000 years ago. How many of you have asked the question "Why exactly did Jesus come?" Well, He came for a very special reason. For YOU. For ME. For the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. He came to bring us salvation; to save our souls from eternal death. Jesus came to free us from sin, worry, guilt, death, and the world. To be free from them means we do not have to live with them anymore, or they are no longer a part of us. Instead, they can be apart FROM us. All thanks to the LORD!!!
So, now that you know why He came, take a look at how Jesus entered the world. The little LORD Jesus came to earth as a lowly, modest baby. He was born in a stable with animals. As you know, animals stink. They were probably flies hovering over their waste products, and the animals themselves. Normally, there are not opulent mattresses, silk sheets or even soft pillows in a stable. There was hay and flies and the stench of dirty mammals.
Before Jesus was sent, He was on His throne, ruling the world and celebrating with the others in heaven. In fact, He was the very one they were celebrating. He is God and He can do anything, but He limited Himself to a human body. Of course, He was still God, so He could still do anything. He lived on the earth and grew in wisdom and stature. (Luke 2:52) Though Jesus was tempted all His life, He never sinned. Jesus is PERFECT! Imagine being His parents! They were responsible for raising Christ up from childhood-going through puberty and lustful temptations, trying to help Jesus understand just exactly who He was. Pretty weird...
On the very first Christmas, God sent us the ultimate gift-His Son, who would one day die for the world and their sin. Only to be raised from the dead three days later!!! If Jesus, would not have risen, Christmas would not have meaning. PRAISE GOD HE DID!
This unassuming birth has wonderful potency to those who dig into it and discover the true meaning of His birth. I am so glad I have done that this year. It is very rewarding. Seek and Find. The true meaning is not so much GIVING as RECIEVING. God has given you gifts of love, joy, peace, salvation, celebration and so many others! My prayer is that with every Christmas present you open this year and next, you will thank the LORD for these gifts He has given to you. People give because they love you and they love to see the joy on your face when you unwrap your surprise. Well, Jesus is the same. So many of us do not take the gifts God gives freely to us. Take them. There is still time. You do not have to wait for Christmas.

Fun Facts:
1. We give gifts on Christmas because of God's gift to us 2000 years ago. Jesus! Our Saving Grace.
2. "Jingle Bells" was written for Thanksgiving and then became popular for Christmas.
3. If you recieved all the gifts from "12 Days of Christmas", you would have 364 gifts!