1 John 5:6-12

1 John 5:6-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  At Christmas, we talk a lot about gifts.  We spend hours debating what to get people, and then even more hours in the store or online searching for that perfect gift.  If we really think about it (and I often don't), we're trying to come up with some way to communicate what someone means to us.  We want them to find delight in our gift, but we also want them to know how important the relationship is to us.  We want them to see that gift as a symbol, as a token of our love.  The more meaningful the gift, the more clear it is how much we value the person.  I'd imagine you spend more time debating what to give your best friend or loved ones than you do the mailman.
  And so look at the gift of Christ -- God's own Son, given to us, that we may receive eternal life.  This is all a gift -- both the sacrifice of Christ and the gift of eternal life.  Think how meaningful these are.  Now recognize how amazing the love of God must be, how much he must value you, to give you such gifts.  May we receive them with delight, and count ourselves as treasured by God.