When we talk about Christmas, gift giving is part of the discussion. If you haven’t already experienced this, giving someone else a gift always makes you feel better than receiving one. The scripture reminds us that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

I think when we give a gift to someone we either want to make them happy or we want to meet a need. Christmas is about God giving the greatest gift ever given: the gift of his Son Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son ...” We see that God’s motivation for giving is the love he has for us and our motivation for giving ought to come from a heart of love, first for God, and then for our fellow mankind.

There is always an intended result that we want to see as a result of our giving. We hope that the recipient will receive joy, happiness and will have a need met. The same is true with the gift God offers. The latter part of John 3:16 says, “that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

When a person believes in Jesus as their personal Savior, he gives them forgiveness, peace and eternal life and so much more. These definitely bring joy, happiness and our deepest need is met.

The truth is that God will not force this free gift on any of us. But for any of us that want to receive it, we will not be denied.