John 1:16-17,18 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
Verse 18 says, "No man has ever seen God at any time; the Only Unique Son, or the Only Begotten God, Who is in the bosom (in the intimate) Presence of the Father, He has declared Him, He has revealed Him, and brought Him out where He can be seen, He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known."
The Gift that was wrapped in the flesh of Jesus, was none other than God Himself. We can actually see the Father Himself, when we unwrap this Gift. Today, so many confuse the "unseen God" of the Law and the "revealed Father" Who was given as a Gift to mankind through the birth of Jesus. The Greatest Gift wrapped in the flesh of Jesus, was the unfailing Love of God. God gave Himself to us in this Gift of Jesus Christ.
When we see beyond the veil of the flesh of Jesus, we can actually see God the Father. Many have never seen the Truth that God's Gift to us, is Himself. We've read many scriptures lightly and have never meditated on them in our spirit. Paul writes about the Greatest Gift in 1Corinthians 13:13 (Amplified), saying, "And so faith, hope and Love abide (faith, conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and Divine things); hope-joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love-true affection for God and man, growing out of God's Love for and in us; these three, but the Greatest of these is LOVE."
This awesome Gift of Love is none other than God Himself living in us. Faith can be weak of infant like, hope can be set aside by circumstances, but Love (which is God Himself) can never fail. This is why the Greatest of all these Gifts, is Love. 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 to us." This isn't just God's Love, but it's God Himself in the manifestation of His Spirit. This is why "Love never fails," because God is Love.
According to John 1:18, the only way to see God or actually know Him as "Father," is to see beyond the veil of flesh, which was Jesus and see the Father working through Him. If you can know Jesus, then you can see God, because He has revealed Him to us and unwrapped Him to be known. We've somehow seen Jesus as being separate from the Father. God is One. When you see Jesus, you see God, according to 1John 5:7 (Amplified), which says, "So there are three witnesses in Heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One."
As we unwrap God's Gift this Christmas Season, let's not just leave Him in swaddling clothes or wrapped in flesh, but let's unwrap God's Gift and allow i to reveal the True Gifts that were inside. Isaiah 9:6 (Amplified) reminds us, "For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given." God's Gift was so perfect, innocent, and precious and holds all the Gifts, favor, Truth, Spiritual Blessing and Grace for us.
These Gifts are already ours, but it takes faith to unwrap this Gift and see what's inside. Romans 4:16 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of Grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is thus the father of us all."
We must apply faith and unwrap this Gift, to see the Father Himself Who is wrapped inside this Gift. It's God's will that you have these Gifts and they are already yours, but you must, by faith, receive them by looking beyond the veil of His flesh and into His Spirit. Jesus revealed these Gifts to the world, while He was still wrapped in flesh, but only to a limited ability. Now, by His dying and being free of the veil of His flesh, Jesus can reveal and distribute these Gifts to all who will believe.
We can only see the Truth, by looking beyond the traditions of man. I enjoy the Christmas songs and lights on the tree. I put up a nativity with my grandchildren, but I enjoy unwrapping the Gift and receiving what's inside. The pretty wrappings are wonderful to see, but until I remove them, I can only see so much. Most of what the Father gave to us, is still unseen.
There are many Promises of this Great Christmas Day, in God's Word like in Isaiah 9:1 (Amplified) says, "But in the midst of judgment there is the Promise and the certainty of the Lord's deliverance and there shall be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time the Lord brought into contempt the land of Zebulum and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time He will make it Glorious, by the way of the Sea of Galilee, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations."
Many of the Gifts wrapped in the flesh and blood body of Messiah, are stated throughout the Old and New Testaments. We read in Isaiah 52,53,54 and 55, that "He bore our iniquities, our trespasses, our sickness, our disease, our chastisement needful to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes that wounded Him, we are healed and made whole." The Gifts that He contained for us in His coming, are now ours in His Resurrection.
We only need to unwrap the Gift, to find the many Promises God made to and for us. 2Corinthians 1:20 (Amplified) says, "For as many as are the Promises of God, they all find their Yes answer in Him (Christ), For this reason we also utter the Amen (So be it), to God through Him, in His Person and by His Agency, to the Glory of God."
As we celebrate the Birth of Jesus and remember His death and resurrection, we must celebrate the things He gave to and for us, while we're here on earth. Through His Own death, we have Life. This Life is a Free Gift from God. In this Life, which is actually His Life within us, are all of the attributes and Gifts of God Himself living in and through us. They only need to be realized and accepted.
It's up to each of us to receive and accept these Gifts. They're already ours and belong to every child of God, but you must by faith, receive and inherit them. John 1:16-17 (Amplified) tells us, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a part and were all supplied with one Grace after another, and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and favor upon favor and even Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ." God's Promises are Truth for us today, if we're born-again.
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