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.

 

*There is a difference in presents and presence. The story is told of a little boy wishing for one thing at Christmastime—something from his Daddy who was serving in the military in Southeast Asia. Hearing a knock on the door, the little boy rushed to open it and there stood his father. He didn’t ask, “Daddy, what did you bring me?” He threw his arms around the father’s neck and said, “Oh Daddy, this is the best Christmas present I’ve ever had!” His father’s presence.

We don’t usually think of a person as a gift, but actually interpersonal relationships are the most valued and cherished gifts of all. The Bible teaches that God gave a Person as a gift to every one of us, and that Person is Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a time when people focus on folklore and gift giving, but Christmas is actually a glorious reality, not a myth, not a tradition, not a dream. It is a time of joy. What happened in Bethlehem that marvelous night became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God. From that manger came a Man who not only taught us a new way of life, but offered us eternal life in His presence. God loves us so much that He was willing to give His Son Jesus to a lost world, to redeem a people for His own. 

*Billy Graham