The Most Unusual Christmas Gift (#85 of 365+)

“The LORD will indeed give what is good” (Psalm 85:12)

“‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ —which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew
1:23)

The following lyrics were copied from one of my favorite songs for the Christmas season, Amy Grant’s Emmanuel, God With Us: “And the years they come/And the years they go/Though we may forget somehow/That the child once born in Bethlehem/Is still among us now”

What? Jesus Christ is still among us? How can that be?

The bible says after he rose from the grave, Jesus appeared in the midst of his disciples. By now they had developed the annoying habit of huddling together behind locked doors. “Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21-22). Later, “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-2, 4)

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7)

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17)

“God did powerful things through Paul, things quite out of the ordinary” (Acts 19:11 MSG)

“The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion” (1Corinthians 2:14 MSG)

If you have yet to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, know that he is the powerful Source who can draw unbelievers to faith through signs and wonders and he is the One who blesses God’s Church through various gifts given to believers. God wants to give you this same Gift. I know, this probably isn't one of those Christmas gifts you were hoping to find under the tree but—if you want to live a powerful Christian testimony—the only way you can do it is with God’s Holy Spirit in you. Ask God for his Gift today.

As you rush about during the rest of the busy Christmas season, don't forget to take a moment to thank God for (in Joni’s words) the “many, many gifts in the course of our lives that go unnoticed, unthanked, and unappreciated.”

“Jesus, you’re the One, who set my spirit free/Use me Lord, glorify, your holy name through me/Rushing wind blow through this temple/Blowing out the dust within/Come and breathe your breath upon me/For I’ve been born again”—lyrics by Keith Green