The best gift God has ever given
‘But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.’ — Ecclesiastes 2:11
‘Man’s maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.’ — Augustine
I hope you had a joyful time on Christmas Day yesterday!
Family and friends, food and drink, gifts and games, time to rest, reflect and celebrate—Christmas is full of good things for us to enjoy.
All good things come from God, and He generously gives them so that we would worship Him in gratitude. At Christmas, these good things are meant to enhance our celebration of Christ’s arrival here on earth.
But, as always, sin spoils it. So many people have ended up pushing Christ out of Christmas and, ultimately, out of their lives. They try to enjoy His blessings without enjoying Him.
In one way or another, we’ve all done this. We’ve all fallen into the temptation of elevating the gifts above the Giver—of wanting the benefits of living in the Kingdom without having to serve the King. We push the glorious Creator away and instead grab at His created glories.
The Teacher in Ecclesiastes tries everything in the world that people look to for ultimate satisfaction, fulfilment, and meaning. Pleasure, success, power, wealth, fame—he tries it all, he gains it all, but he discovers that having it all doesn’t mean anything.
God’s gifts can’t ever fulfil us like God Himself can, because they were never meant to. Every good thing we have is from Him and is meant to be enjoyed for His glory, and every attempt to bypass this reality eventually leaves us empty, disappointed and in despair.
Jesus came into this world to save us from these sinful, silly attempts to find life outside of Him. He came to take the punishment we deserved for our rebellion against God, so that we could be made right with Him forever. He came to show us that the full life we want is the Spirit-empowered life that’s lived wholly for God and not for ourselves.
In Jesus, we can find everything we’ve been looking for, and we can enjoy the good things He gives us rightly: for our good and His glory.
Christ alone gives us the only life worth living. Christ alone makes Christmas worth celebrating.
Whatever our experience has been this Christmas, may we always look to Him to find our full satisfaction.
Love,
Theo
P.S. This week’s Journal is an adaptation from our One Year Devotional: 365 Days of Looking to Jesus. I’m unashamedly a bit biased, but the team and I agree that this really is the best thing we’ve ever made. You can find out more about it and grab a late Christmas gift for yourself or someone else here!
