The Father's Gift

On the first Christmas, God the Father gave us the best Gift—his one and only Son. Approximately 2,000 years ago, this Gift stepped out of heaven and became a man. He came to rescue us from sin, hell, and death and to bring us into an enduring union with himself.

While on earth, Jesus was tempted in every way you and I are tempted. Yet he did not sin (Heb. 4:15). He lovingly and perfectly obeyed God’s law for us. He fulfilled all of God’s requirements for your sake and mine (Mt. 5:17). He then freely offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sin and was punished in our place (Heb. 9:14).

The Father’s Gift was beaten and bloodied so severely that you could say he was wrapped in ribbons of red (Is. 52:14, 53:5). Then he was hung on a tree—the Light of the World strung up like a Christmas ornament (Gal. 3:13, Jn. 8:12). When a spear pierced Jesus side, the Gift was torn open and unwrapped so we could receive forgiveness and adoption into God’s family (Jn. 19:34; Rom. 3:25; Eph. 1:7; Jn. 1:12).

But that’s not all.

Christ was raised to life again and is alive right now (Eph. 1:20). The forgiveness he offers is just the beginning.

God the Father wants you to get to know His Son. He wants to help you progressively discover Christ’s endless beauty (Lk. 9:35). Jesus invites you to develop an indwelling friendship with him that will last forever.

Jesus was placed in a manger—a feeding trough—as a baby. He wants to be for you spiritual bread that satisfies the longings and desires of your heart (Jn. 6:35). “O, taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8).

Over the years, I have discovered God’s Spirit loves to help us get to know Jesus. He will reveal the beauty of Christ to us in little glimpses through scripture (Jn. 16:14; Eph. 1:17-18). When my dull and distracted heart is enabled to “see” a tiny glimpse of Jesus, I am filled with wonder and awe. Christ becomes more than a plan of salvation. He is a treasure of infinite worth (Col. 2:3). He is a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, an everlasting father, and a prince of peace (Is. 9:6). In his presence, there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11).

Years ago, I started jotting down adjectives and phrases that describe Jesus. The list kept growing (see below). The longer I know Jesus, the more of him there is to uncover. As Aslan told Lucy in Prince Caspian, “Every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

Just as heaven revealed the wonder of the Father’s Gift to the shepherds and wise men long ago, may you, too, never stop discovering Jesus’ matchless worth.

Who Jesus Is and What He Has Accomplished for Us
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• 100% God (Jn. 1:1-3, Col. 1:19)
• 100% human (Col. 2:9, Heb. 2:14)
• Abused (Mt. 20:19, Mk. 14:65, Mk. 15:15-19)
• Advocate (my defense attorney; 1 Jn. 2:1))
• All consuming (Heb. 12:29)
• All powerful (Mt. 28:18)
• Alpha (beginning of everything; Rev. 22:13))
• Approachable (Mt. 11:29, 19:14-15)
• Atonement (makes you God’s friend)
• Author & Finisher of your story (Phil. 1:6)
• Beaten (Jn. 19:1)
• Beautiful (Ps. 27:4, Ps. 45:2, Heb. 1:3)
• Beloved of the Father (Mt. 17:5, Is. 42:1, Eph. 1:6)
• Brave (Lk. 9:51)
• Bread of heaven (Jn. 6:35)
• Breathtaking (Phil. 3:8, Ps. 27:4)
• Bridegroom (Eph. 5:25-27, Rev. 19:7)
• Brighter than the sun (Rev. 1:14-16)
• Brother (Rom. 8:29, Heb. 2:11)
• Commander of angel armies
• Christ (chosen or anointed one)
• Cloud rider (Rev. 1:7)
• Compassionate (Mt. 20:34)
• Controller (Rm. 8:28)
• Conquering King (Rev. 19:11-16)
• Comfort Giver (Jn. 14:26, 1 Pet. 5:7)
• Conscience cleanser (Heb. 9:14)
• Corpse raiser upper (Jn. 11:25)
• Creator (John 1:3, Col. 1:16)
• Crucified (Mt. 11:35, Lk. 22:33, Jn. 19:18, 1 Cor. 2:2)
• Delight of heaven (Mt. 3:17, Rev. 5:11-13))
• Desire of the nations (Hag. 2:7)
• Devil defeater (Mt. 8:29, Lk. 4:41, Col. 2:15, Rev. 20:10)
• Disciple maker
• Embodiment of Love (Jn. 3:16, Jn. 3:35)
• Endless
• Eternal
• Everlasting Father (Is. 9:6, Jn. 1:12))
• Ever present (Jn. 14:20, Heb. 13:5)
• Eyes of fire (Rev. 1:14-16)
• Excellent (Psalm 45:2)
• Expiation (payment for sin)
• Fearless
• Firstborn from the dead
• Friend of sinners (Mt. 9:11-13)
• Gentle (Mt. 11:29)
• Giver of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 15:26)
• Goal of creation (Eph 1:9-10, Col. 1:16)
• God with skin on (Col. 1:15, Col. 2:9)
• Good listener
• Gracious
• Grill master (Jn. 21:9-10)
• Guilt remover
• Head of the church
• Heart throb of heaven
• Heaven’s Sunrise (Lk. 1:78)
• Heir of all things (Jn. 3:35, Heb. 1:2)
• High Priest (Heb. 4:15)
• Home builder (Jn. 14:3)
• Healer (Ps. 147:3, Mt. 9:35)
• Holy x 3
• Horse rider (Rev. 19:11)
• Humble
• Immanuel ("God with us," Mt. 1:23)
• Immortal
• Infinite
• Invincible
• Jewish (descendent of King David, Jer. 23:5, Mt. 2:2))
• Joyful (Ps. 16:11, Heb. 1:9)
• Judge
• Kind
• King of kings
• Knowable (Jn. 17:3)
• Knows what’s best in every situation
• Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29)
• Life giver
• Limitless
• Lion of Judah
• Living water
• Lord of lords 
• Lofty
• Lover of my soul
• Lowly
• Magnificent
• Man of steel (Lk. 9:51 MSG)
• Marred
• Mediator
• Messenger of the covenant
• Messiah (Lk. 2:11)
• Merciful
• Mind-blowing (Mt. 7:28, Lk. 2:47)
• Mine (Jer. 24:7, Song of Sol. 6:3)
• Misunderstood
• Mocked (Mt. 27:39-44)
• My adoption papers (Jn. 1:12, Gal. 3:26, Gal. 4:4-5, Eph. 1:5)
• Mystery of God revealed (Eph. 1:9)
• No equal
• Noble
• Omega (end of all things) 
• One of a kind 
• Originator of all life
• Open 24 hours
• Owner of everything
• Patient (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
• Personal
• Preeminent (superior, outstanding)
• Priceless treasure
• Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6)
• Propitiation (absorbs & satisfies God’s justice and wrath on my behalf; Rom. 3:25)
• Provider
• Purifier of my heart and conscience
• Radiant
• Ready to believe the best about me when all I see is the worst (see 1 Cor. 13:7 AMPC)
• Reconciler
• Redeemer  
• Ruler of the nations (Ps. 22:28, Zech. 14:9)
• Safe and protecting (Mt. 23:37)
• Scarred (Jn. 20:27)
• Self existent
• Sin bearer
• Sacrifice for sin
• Slain
• Slow to anger (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
• Son of God
• Son of Man
• Soul satisfying
• Sovereign
• Spit upon 
• Star breather (Ps. 33:6, Heb. 1:2)
• Storm master (Mk. 4:39)
• Stunning
• Sustainer (Col. 1:17)
• Supreme (Col. 1:17)
• Swordsman (Rev. 19:15)
• Teased (Mt. 27:39-44)
• Tempted (Heb. 4:15)
• Tender (Mt. 12:20)
• Thirst quencher (Jn. 7:37)
• Transcendent (in a class all by himself)
• Transformer (Mt. 17:2)
• Trustworthy
• Terrifying to those that hate God and refuse His mercy (Is. 63:3, Rev. 19:13)
• Unchanging
• Victorious
• Water walker (Mt. 14:25)
• Without end (Lk. 1:33, Is. 9:7, Jn. 21:25)
• Wise beyond compare (Mk. 6:2)
• Wonderful Counselor (Is. 9:6)
• Worthy of all honor, glory, power, strength and wealth (Rev. 5:12)
• X Man (“X” in Greek means “Christ”)
• And the list goes on . . .

A Prayer: Father God, thank you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for sending him to live and die for me. I receive you, Jesus, as my Savior and Lord. I welcome you into my life. I need you. I worship you. Help me, Holy Spirit, to discover the beauty and wonder of Jesus. Teach me to encounter Jesus as I read about him in the Bible. Give me glimpses of his glory throughout every season of my life. Help me love and treasure him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

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