Getting Ready for God’s Great Gift
Hebrews 2:14-18 

One of the many things I enjoy about Advent is seeing the curiosity and excitement on children’s faces. When Andy and Becky were little, they would spend the days leading up to Christmas examining the wrapped presents under the tree and trying to figure out what was in each one. There was a thrill in their hearts that lit up their eyes.

On Christmas morning, they’d wake up early and rush to the tree to find out what gifts they had received. They didn’t care what we were having for breakfast or what was on television. Neither of them could wait to open those packages and start enjoying their new toys.

Most children are the same way—they wouldn’t dream of simply admiring the colorful packages and leaving them unopened. Yet that is exactly what many people do with the greatest gift ever given.

This is why some folks find these next several weeks to be a very difficult time of year. Loneliness, financial pressures, unfulfilled dreams, and unmet expectations understandably can dampen a person’s spirit during a season when we all should be rejoicing. But by keeping our eyes on the One who has given us all things, we can focus on what cannot be taken from us rather than on what we don’t have.

The Enemy wants to steal your happiness this and every Christmas by making the season about everything except Jesus’ birth and His reason for coming (Heb. 2:14–18). I encourage you to unwrap God’s awesome gift of salvation and consider how its blessings “keep on giving” through all eternity