I never really put Christmas presents under the tree until the night of Christmas Eve. Mainly because that’s how it was when I grew up, but also because I have a house full of box shakers and plunderers. I know when I was a kid, if I saw I gift for me, I would try to shake that thing to pieces to get even a hint of what was inside. I would also press in the paper if it was oddly shaped so that I could see the true shape of it. My brother and I would always take guesses at what we thought it was (prejudging the package by how it looked and felt), then of course always surprised if it was something different. That mindset actually becomes a part of who many people are these days. People who judge others by their appearance. Not only now, but even back thousands of years ago.
This is the day that we celebrate our Saviors birth, Jesus Christ. As He came into this world, He came with the appearance of lowliness. He came as an innocent child, born unto a carpenter and virgin, and without proper location. Then as the word tells us, He was raised in a town that had obviously been labeled as a town of obscurity.
The funny thing is, the word gave foreknowledge of the coming of the Messiah, it even gave a few details of the how, but those of that time were so caught up in what they personally believed the package would look like, and how it would sound, that they completely missed what was inside. Before Nathaniel declared Jesus as Rabbi, he even questioned the authenticity of who Jesus was just because of where He come from.
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked John 1:46
Just like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and generations of unbelievers in the times where Jesus walked the Earth, non-scriptural pre conceived notions of how God comes into our lives and how He directs us, causes us to miss the very intent of who and why He is.
God has given us the very gift of salvation and life, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger and just as a timeless piece, the value of this gift is just as valuable as it has been for all time. If you have not received this gift, it still has your name on the tag waiting for you to open up. Don’t shake the box, don’t assume about How it is to come or get a pre-conceived notion about what’s inside. Just open up and receive.
If you have received this gift, tend to it with care. It is rare and irreplaceable. I hope You all have a Merry Christmas! God Bless!!
Originally Posted By Clemetra Dashie December 25, 2020