It is a busy time of year with Christmas soon approaching. Stores are crowded with shoppers searching for that perfect gift. Checklists of gifts to buy and people to buy for are stuffed in our pockets, our purses and our mental storage compartments. Soon those gifts will be wrapped and placed under a Christmas tree ready for Christmas morning. Smells of baking fill our kitchens and decorations adorn our homes. Children’s anticipation builds as that wonderful day draws near. What gift will they find under the tree on Christmas day? Excitement fills the air.
On Christmas morning we read the tags and find the owner of each gift. With eagerness we open those gifts bearing our name curious and excited to discover what is inside. Before long the gifts are opened and we enjoy the rest of the day celebrating Christmas festivities with family and friends.
But wait! There is one gift left under the tree. Who is it for? Who is it from? The tag has your name on it. It says “from Jesus”. Did you forget to open the gift He left for you? You open the box. Inside is a note from Jesus that says: “I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 (NLT)
Do you know His peace? Are you troubled about anything? Are you afraid of something? He left you a gift of His peace. Too often we leave it under the tree unopened. We allow worry and fear and “what ifs” to consume our thoughts. Jesus already paid for your gift of peace with His blood when He shed it for you on the cross. Will you choose by faith today to accept the gift He has for you?
Jesus wants to have a gift exchange with you. He wants to trade your worry, your fear, your anxiety for His peace that passes all understanding. Are you ready to open your gift today? If so, you can pray this prayer:
Jesus today I give you my worries, my fears, my anxiety and I choose to accept and open the gift you gave me of peace. Your Word says that “you will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.”(Isaiah 26:3 NLT) Jesus today I choose to fix my thoughts on You and not on the things that would cause me to worry or fear. I choose to trust that You care for me and that You will take care of the things that concern me as I rest in the peace that You have given me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
Now enjoy the rest of your day sharing your new gift with your family and friends!
Jennifer
