Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
~ Hebrews 9:28
As a young child, I had a very difficult time waiting for Christmas morning.
How many of those presents under the tree were for me?
Do they make a noise when shaken?
How heavy are they?
What could be wrapped in that fancy paper, crisscrossed by ribbon, every edge taped securely?
Is there even a hint of the box visible?
Can I carefully lift a corner or fold to give me a glimpse of what’s underneath?
My imagination would run wild…what’s under the wrapping paper?
What’s in the box?
Could it be that toy I’ve been pestering my parents about for months?
AAAHHHHH!! They’re wrapped too well…I just can’t wait!
Some years I did get what I wanted and others I received gifts I hadn’t even considered. Usually, those gifts I hadn’t considered were ones I cherished even more over time. It took many years for me to realize I needed to have faith that those who loved me enough to provide a gift really did want what was best for me, despite what I thought I wanted in the moment.
Scripture is filled with people that with their limited knowledge “knew” what was best, despite what others warned. Moses warned Pharaoh, Jonah warned the people of Ninevah, and Noah warned the people of his day of the impending floods, but in their unbelief, they dismissed the warnings. Though he was unable to convince the people of his day, Noah took God’s warning of an unknown danger seriously. The earth had never experienced floods or rainfall in his day. The only way water flowed on earth was through springs (Genesis 2:6). But by faith, when God announced the earth would be destroyed by a great flood, Noah and his family built the ark.
In this Advent season, let us not forget that we are all called to share the greatest gift mankind has ever received – the Christ-child, Jesus. We are to share about salvation through belief in Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ, humanity can be saved from the upcoming judgement.
Unlike my Christmas gifts, we shouldn’t try to hide God’s gift by wrapping it tightly so others cannot see, but we should let our actions and words tell everyone of God’s great gift.
For many, the future is unreal. They live as if today were everything, and tomorrow is an illusion. But Scripture tells us that judgement awaits. Like Noah, we need to share the best gift of all with everyone – Jesus.
“We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there.” – Charles F. Kettering
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for those in my past who opened your great gift for me, so that I would come to know You as my Savior. I pray today that You will bring to my mind those who You want me to share that great gift with this season. Give me the courage to boldly share how my relationship with You has changed my outlook of what is to come. Amen
Blessings,
Pastor Vic