The holiday season is in full swing, which means different things for different people. Some minds will wander to memories of past years with their family. Others will be focused on getting the “perfect gift” for each of their loved ones. Still others will be planning their travel plans to go see family…and this list could go on all day. It’s fun to stop and think about these things and the role they play in our lives at this time of the year each year. But let’s think, for just a moment about a couple of these things specifically.
For starters, we all know that traveling this time of year can be hazardous. I’m not just referring to the weather…especially in Oklahoma right now where someone forgot to tell Jack Frost that we are supposed to need jackets instead of shorts. With everyone traveling in such a hurry, there can be some accidents on the roads. People are in a hurry to get to the store (or maybe, finally, home from the store) or they are in a hurry to get together with their loved ones to celebrate. Either way, they are in a hurry. And when we are in a hurry, we sometimes forget to look out for others. Yes, traveling can be hazardous with everyone going their own way this time of year.
We all want to give someone that “perfect gift” that will make them happier than any other. For some, that can mean shopping for your Christmas presents in February. For others that means shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Either way, there is planning (and waiting) involved. You will either wait most of the year to give these people their present…or you’ll wait in line forever to get in the store, then fight your way through the crowd and wait (again forever) in line to purchase it. But at the end of the day, the waiting doesn’t really matter that much because we are doing all of that out of love for the other person and hoping to make their holiday very enjoyable.
Instead of worrying about the hazards of traveling, however, what if we spent that time thinking about the travel plans we are making for eternity? People are still in a hurry to start their eternity, it seems. And most people are still going their own way in life and hoping that they get where they want to be without any concern for how they are traveling. We’re told in God’s Word:
Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)
{13} “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. {14} For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
John 14:6 (ESV)
{6} Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Christ makes it pretty clear for us that if we want to arrive at our eternal destination safely, we have to choose the right path (the narrow, difficult at times way) because He is the only way to get to God.
And what about that “perfect gift?” All the time we spend deciding what gift to buy someone and making sure that it is just right ends up getting a smile and then they move on to another gift that someone else has deemed the “perfect gift” for them. Do you want to know the secret to finding the true “perfect gift” for someone? It needs to be something one-of-a-kind, that is irreplaceable and satisfies every need imaginable. For the record, you can’t find it at Wal-Mart or some specialty store somewhere. There won’t be a “new and better” version announced the next year and you’ll never have to update it. The price tag on this gift is pretty high, though. In fact, it costs more than everyone on the planet has combined. There is some good news with this gift though. This amazing, unique and “perfect gift” has already been given to us!
Hebrews 5:7-10 (ESV)
{7} In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. {8} Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. {9} And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, {10} being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Romans 5:15-17 (ESV)
{15} But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. {16} And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. {17} If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
What better gift could there be than the gift of life? And the ultimate gift of life is eternal life! This has been made available for all people because all people need it. We have all sinned and fallen short of what we are supposed to do in this life, but God loves us enough to send the perfect gift for us. The cost to us is free, because it’s already been paid with the sacrifice of Christ!
Father God, thank You for loving us enough to give us the Perfect Gift, Your Son! Help us to remember that, because of Your love and His sacrifice, we know how to spend eternity with You. We love You, Father, and long to serve You! Amen.
youthguytad 