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God the Father has given Jesus Christ as a love gift to man. Jesus is the only gift given to the world that is able to unlock the hearts of men and women of all races, cultures, and walks of life.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
(Luke 2:4-7)
The night Jesus was born turned out to be quite an unusual night. As He drew His first breath, a new star appeared in the sky. Wise men studying the stars suddenly saw the new star appear.

On a hillside outside of Bethlehem, shepherds gathered around a fire after putting their sheep away for the night. Every so often, some of the shepherds walked around the herd to make sure all the animals were accounted for. They wanted to make sure no predators came in to take their sheep.

Suddenly, something took place that caught the attention of all the shepherds. The sky became as bright as noonday. A choir of angels suddenly appeared in the sky singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).

The Night Of All Nights
What a night it was! It started out as just an ordinary night, but it ended up as the night of all nights. Jesus - the gift of God - was born into the world to free man from the bondage of the evil one.

There's a great possibility that other babies were born at the same time that night, but this child was different. He was the gift from God to man - a gift that would pave the way for man to break out of the chains of sin, sickness, and disease to enjoy the freedom of love, joy, and peace.

Jesus came to Bethlehem as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. But He is no longer a baby in a manger surrounded by the lowing of barnyard animals. He is Jesus Christ, the King of kings, who lives forevermore and sits at the right hand of the Father (Eph. 1:20).

He was born in a manger, grew up and lived among men, and then went to the Cross to give His life for the redemption of humanity. As he hung on the Cross, Jesus looked heavenward and said, "My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). And with one last breath, He said, "It is finished!" Jesus' head slumped to His chest and He died.

The devil and all his demons sang in glee as they thought they had destroyed the gift of God. But on the third day, the gift who was born in a lowly manger in Bethlehem came storming out of the deep caverns below (Eph. 4:9-10)!

Jesus came forth victorious over death, hell, and the grave! And the Babe of Bethlehem became the Conquering Hero! Jesus paid the ransom for the redemption of man. Since He paid the price, He forever lives at the right hand of the Father as God's gift to the world (Rom. 8:34).

It's nice to receive gifts, but it's not the receiving of gifts that really blesses us. Rather, it's the giving of them. Nothing is more exciting than to watch the spark of joy in a child's eyes as he receives the gift he truly desires.

God's Unspeakable Gift
Just as we give gifts to others, so God has given gifts to men (Eph. 4:8). But Jesus is the one gift that stands above all others. In 2 Corinthians 9:15, the Apostle Paul said, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." According to Paul, without this gift, no other gifts are available to you. You must first open this unspeakable gift he talks about - the gift of Jesus Christ.

As you are handing out gifts on Christmas morning, someone may stop you and say, "No, don't give that one yet. This one has to be opened first." The reason for that is usually, the gifts go together somehow. One of them has to be opened before the other.

Another way to illustrate this is that many high school and college classes work the same way. In other words, before you can take one class on a particular subject, you have to first take a certain class called a prerequisite.

This principle also applies to the things of God. Before you can receive all the gifts that God has given you, you must first open the greatest gift He gave to man, the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's through this great gift that you receive salvation, joy, peace, healing, prosperity, and all the many blessings of God. Jesus is the best and the greatest gift God has ever given man.

John 3:16 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" (NIV). Jesus is the one and only gift God sent to redeem man from sin and death. This gift - the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ - is the key to all other gifts. Without this unspeakable gift, none of the other gifts are available.

People are always searching for the key to success. They may go to a success seminar to find that key. But they will not find it at a seminar. No, the key to success is found in God's unspeakable gift.

When Jesus comes into your life, He becomes the key that is turned in your heart, which causes everything to change (see 2 Cor. 5:17). Until then, you'll be confused, anxious, and uncertain. You'll be walking about not knowing where you're going or what's going to happen next.

Jesus is the only gift that improves your way of living every day: Confusion becomes comprehension, depression becomes joy, sorrow turns into happiness, and tears turn into smiles.

A Better Life Day By Day
When you accept Jesus, He makes your life better day by day. He makes life better with every breath you draw. Jesus causes you to place a different value on those things that were once important to you. God also makes those things that were not important to you in the past important.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift (2 Cor 5:17).

This unspeakable gift can make you a giver and not a taker. It's great to receive, but the Word of God says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Before you received the gift of salvation, you were a taker by nature. You selfishly asked, "What's in it for me? How is it going to benefit me? What am I going to get out of it?"

But since you received Jesus, the free gift of eternal life Who was born in the stable of Bethlehem, your cry is no longer, "What am I going to receive?" but, "How can I be a blessing to someone else?"

Did you ever notice that when Christ came into your life, you immediately wanted to give or share with someone else? You wanted someone else to enjoy the happiness and newfound freedom you had discovered.

This unspeakable gift is a gift that has been given for all. And when you accept it, it's a gift that you can keep forever. No matter how much money you have, you can't purchase it. You can give all you have, but you will never be able to purchase this gift.

You simply receive it by saying, "Heavenly Father, I recognize Your gift, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I accept Him as my Savior and Lord." That's the way you receive this gift.

Even though Jesus is a gift that has been freely given to every man, you must ask in order to receive Him. God will not force the gift of Jesus on you.

God the Father has given Jesus Christ as a love gift to man. Jesus is the only gift given to the world that is able to unlock the hearts of men and women of all races, cultures, and walks of life. When you receive God's gift of eternal life, He becomes the answer to every problem you will ever face.

Jesus Christ is the greatest gift you will ever receive! Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!

Faith Library Publications
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Kenneth W. Hagin
Web site: Kenneth Hagin Ministries
 
Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
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