By Doug Creamer
It is that time of year for secrets. Boxes arrive and you are not allowed to open them or peek in. There are bags in the car that you cannot bring in or see what is inside. Packages are wrapped and hidden in places where the kids won’t look. I like the secrecy of the season. There is excitement everywhere. We are quickly closing in on the big day; I hope you are ready.
It seems there is less secrecy as we get older. My wife and I help each other pick out what we really want so we don’t have to fight the returns. It works better that way, but there are still a few things that we keep hidden until Christmas day. We work hard to have fun and make the day a very special time together.
I have to admit, I am much better at keeping secrets as an adult than I was as a child. I remember one year at Christmas my dad had decided to get my mom a TV for their bedroom. The night he went to pick it up he had all the kids with him. My older brother and sister were good at keeping secrets, but my dad knew that I wasn’t. After all, it was a TV.
Dad had the guys load the TV in the truck. He turns to me and tells me that he is getting mom some bags of soil for her garden. My mother has always had the nicest flower gardens. I knew my mom would love getting the soil that my dad had picked out for her. He told me it was a secret and I couldn’t tell mom and spoil his big surprise.
I think my dad was wise because I was able to keep the soil a secret, but a TV would never have made it to Christmas day! I remember when he gave it to her, asking him about the secret present he had. He had to explain to me that there was no soil and that I had done a good job keeping his secret. In the end, I still think he was right in not telling me.
Keeping secrets can be fun, especially at Christmas. But the truth is that God did not keep the coming of His Son a secret. You can look all through the Old Testament and find many predictions about the coming Messiah. Moses and King David both told the people of His coming. Almost all of the Old Testament prophets spoke with anticipation of the coming Christ.
God announced the birth of His Son to the shepherds. He placed a bright star in the sky over Bethlehem. Then He sent three wise men from a faraway land to seek and find Him. It was no secret that the Christ was born. But even God had to hide Jesus and keep His location secret when Herod decided he wanted to kill the Christ. He secretly sent Him to Egypt.
His story and His life are no secret. The Bible tells us plainly about who He was and how He led His life. His mission was clear. We had messed up our connection with God through sin. Jesus had to come and repair our broken relationship. To repair the brokenness, He was destined to die. His blood offered the forgiveness that could save our souls.
God knew we could not fix what was broken. So He did everything from His side to restore our relationship. Now the ball is in our court. It’s up to each of us to make a decision whether we want to accept God’s greatest gift of His Son.
To open and receive the gift requires faith. Knowledge of Jesus is not good enough. Every demon in hell has knowledge about Jesus. When we exercise our faith and believe and trust God, salvation can enter our soul. That is the gift of Christmas, the hope of eternal life with God in heaven. It’s only good if we receive it. It’s up to us now, not God.
So, what have you decided to do with the Christ of Christmas? I want to encourage you to open your hearts, exercise your faith, and receive the Lord Jesus as your personal savior. You can know right now your eternal destination if you will accept God’s gift to you. There is no other way except through faith in the greatest gift of all time, Jesus the Messiah. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, God stands with open arms waiting to receive you.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
