December 21, 2016

Luke 2:7 NKJV - "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger..."

Someone said, Jesus was the first "wrapped Christmas present!"  and I'll add that this Present was put in a container, namely, a manger.  And like many boxes and baskets that hold gifts, the manger probably got used again for its primary purpose.  Think about that manger for a minute.  Certainly a far cry from a baby's bassonet!  It wasn't even a clean blanket on a cushion.  It was a straw "bed" in a wooden box that animals had probably just finished eating their meal out of.  Not at all what you would use to give the most precious Gift ever given! 

Now, think of 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels..." or "clay pots" to be more graphic.  Our bodies are nothing more than a temporary "house" for us to live in, but even more so, a place for Jesus to live in!  That's why Paul pleads with his readers to present "their bodies a living sacrifice" to the Lord, Romans 12:1. 

The container isn't the Gift, per se, but it still is important.  Galatians 2:20 tells us the "Christ lives in me."  It's the Treasure inside that's valuable, but without a "container" where would the Treasure be seen?  In a way, this Christmas God isn't looking for you to outdo Him in giving!  Impossible.  But what God would love from you is a "Gift Box," namely, your body given to God so He can live in you!