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 2:7 KJV

As we quickly approach this Christmas holiday I want us to remember that the real meaning of Christmas is Christ. So don’t get so caught up in receiving expensive gifts that you forget about Him. So many times we set our sights on material things and forsake the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Expectations

We have become a people who expect to receive whatever we want or desire.

• Someone is expecting something big for Christmas.

• Someone is expecting something expensive for Christmas.

• Someone began throwing hints at the thanksgiving table and now they expect to get just what they want.

But I want you to know that it’s not about what you want, it’s about what you need.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:19 KJV

I can remember growing up as a young boy, my aunt would come around at Christmas time and bring presents for me and my sisters. Every year she would bring us two or three gifts wrapped in Christmas paper. Whenever we would open the gifts, always expecting toys, we found that we were the recipients of sox, tshirts, and underwear.

My aunt did not get us what we wanted, she got us, what we needed.

Nice or Necessary?

Whenever my wife and I go into Walmart there are two questions that are always, on my mind,

Is it nice? Or is it necessary?

See the things that fall into the category as being nice are things that I want, and the things that are necessary are those things that I need. The things that I want may be pleasing to the eyes but only last for a short time. But the things that I need will help me, will sustain me, and keep me from falling. So I’ve learned not to worry so much about the things that I want but to focus on the things that I need.

Now don’t misunderstand me, Psalm 37:4 does tell us “Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”, but this is an instructional verse telling us to take your pleasure in Him first because He is what you need.

I Need Him

I don’t know about you, BUT I NEED HIM.

• When I laid down last night there was a NEED for Him to rock me to sleep.

• There is a NEED for Him to wake me up every morning.

• When I got out of my bed this morning there was a NEED for Him to hold me up.

Jesus came as the gift that we need, because since the beginning of time God saw the sinful nature of man. He saw that we were on our way to a burning hell, and he knew that we needed a savior to come and to redeem our sinful souls.

So I’ve found out that the gift we need was given to us by God, and comes through the salvation offered by His son Jesus Christ.