ROM 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
ROM 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
JHN 3:17 For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him
Joey's Uncle Scott is "that uncle." You know, the one who has a knack for finding the most irrittating toy for all the kids at Christmas, then laughs because HE isn't the one who has to bring it home.
A few years back, Scott got all four kids in the family one of those stuffed animals that lights up and dances and sings when you push a button. This particular stuffed dog belted out, "I'm Gettin' Nuthin' for Christmas" at a decibel that should be illegal. Eli loved it.
"I'm gettin', nuthin' for Christmas. Mommy and Daddy are mad. I'm gettin' nuthin' for Christmas, cause I aint been nuthin' but bad."
Over. And Over. And Over.
A year after this glorious stuffed dog entered our lives, I adopted a "can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality. One morning after the eighth time Eli pushed the button, I began singing along, equally loud and off pitch. In that moment, God decided to use that toy to teach me a Christmas lesson. His sense of humor and timing never ceases to astound me.
Quite frankly, none of us deserve presents for Christmas. Our heavenly Father should be mad. None of us deserves presents for Christmas, cause we aint been nuthin' but bad.
We constantly fall short of the glory of God, and it is impossible to earn His gift of salvation. We aren't good enough.
Thankfully, God is not Santa Claus. On His list of "naughty and nice", all of our naughty has been wiped clean by the blood of Jesus.
He decided to give us a present, the best present, 2,000 years ago. He gave us the only thing that could ever help us get back home to Him. He gave us Himself.
God gave His kids the best Christmas gift ever: salvation.
And it came wrapped in a manger.