The Spirit of Christmas Is Generosity

In review of John 3:16 it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)

Bottom Line:

God loved us so much that he gave his one and only Son, such that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

What this means to me:

God loved me so much that he gave his one and only Son, such that when I believed in him I would no longer perish but have an eternal life.

It seemed that one word I heard probably more than others this past Christmas season was not, “merry”, “Santa”, “tree” or even “Jesus”.  It was “gift.” Starting on Black Friday (and sometimes even before then), we begin our month-long dash to find the right gift for everyone on our list. The word “gift” consumes us for a month.

Even though the Wise Men brought gifts to the baby Jesus, the first Christmas Gifts was from God. God so loved that he gave. This verse reminds me, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). On the first Christmas, God gave the greatest gift of all, he gave his Son. He gave his Son to die on the cross so that I could have my past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a future home in Heaven. Jesus is the original Christmas gift.

We only give because God gave to us first. So what I’m learning is that Christmas is about generosity. The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of generosity. Acts 15:11 says it like this: “We are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us” (MSG).

If it weren’t for God’s generosity, I would have nothing. The air I breathe is a gift of God’s generosity. The blood coursing through my veins is a gift of God’s generosity. The fact that my hearts are beating is a gift of God’s generosity. Every good thing in my life, including my life, is a gift of God’s generosity.

In summary, God loved me so much that he gave his one and only Son, such that when I believed in him I would no longer perish but have an eternal life. Thus, the God’s greatest act of generosity came on the very first Christmas when God gave me his Son, Jesus.