Most everyone, both believers and unbelievers, think of Jesus at this time of year. Jesus was God's gift of Love to the whole world. Even the angels declared that the Prince of Peace had come the night Jesus was born. God Himself proclaimed and announced His peace with mankind and that His will for man was to do good, according to Luke 2:13-14 (Amplified) which says, "Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood) praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest (heaven) and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased (men of goodwill, of His favor)."
God would give peace to all who accept His declaration of "Peace" and would give them His peace and favor. God has declared that He is at peace with mankind and now man must accept His declaration of peace and enter into this covenant. Many have refused to be at peace with god, even though He has made a peace treaty with man.
I know many people who continue "warring" with God, even while He continues to uphold His end of the treaty. This is what I refer to as "Still Unwrapping the Gift," the Gift of Christ Jesus. In Him we have peace with God. Many have only taken the swaddling cloth wrapping off of the Gift, without looking deeper into the fullness of it.
There was another gift besides swaddling cloth that wrapped God's Gift and that was flesh. When we look beyond the wrapping of the flesh, we begin seeing the eternal gift. Jesus said in John 10:10 (Amplified), "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I come that they may have and enjoy life; and have it in abundance (to the full, til it overflows)."
Abundant life is the gift given in Christ Jesus. Once the wrapping is take off the Christ child, there are so many other gifts to be discovered. We have found that in Christ Jesus, there is also the Gift of Righteousness. Romans 3:22-23 (Amplified) says, "Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives (All) are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy) through the redemption which is (provided) in Christ Jesus."
Another Gift provided in the Christmas Gift can be found in Romans 1-2(Amplified) which says, "Therefore, Since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us (grasp the fact that we) have (the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy) peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." Verse 2 goes on, "Through Him also we have (our) access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God's favor) in which we (firmly and safely) stand. And let us rejoice and exalt in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God."
There are so many gifts that God wrapped in the Christmas Gift that have never been accepted by mankind. The heart and Love that gave this Gift, was so great that God has placed everything man could ever desire or need into this Gift. Romans 5:5 (Amplified) says, "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given us."
As we continue reading Romans, we come upon many Gifts or blessing that our Father wrapped in His Christmas Gift. Many of us have removed the swaddling clothes and have accepted the Son of God, but have left many layers of wrapping still not removed. Many Christians only see Jesus after the flesh.
I remember being young and unwrapping several small gifts from inside a large box. Once I wrapped the initial paper and opened the box, I relished in the smaller gifts hiding inside. First, though, I had to wrap the outer wrapping. Sometimes, I had to be very careful so as not to discard smaller gifts with the tissue paper and trappings.
The outer layer of swaddling cloth was merely the initial wrapping, the flesh was the next wrapping. 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amplified) says, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value) (No) even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a Man, yet now (we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh)." Verse 17 goes on, "Therefore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation ( a new creature altogether) the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away, Behold, the fresh and new has come."
The Christmas wrapping of the flesh, is the revealing of all the other Gifts contained in the Package of God's Love. There are many in the world and the Church, who have not unwrapped the wrappings of the flesh, but only have unwrapped the swaddling clothes. The wrapping of the Gift only conceals what's inside. We try shaking the Gift to see if it will rattle and we try guessing what's inside. Once we unwrap it, we can plainly see and enjoy the Gifts contained. When we unwrap the Gift, the revelation knowledge or the revealing of the Gift begins unwrapping the other Gifts contained inside by God.
In order to enjoy the Life that Jesus spoke about in John 10:10, we must peel away the wrapping of the flesh and allow the revealing of God's Gift of Love enclosed in this Gift to us.
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