There are really only two types of Christmas gifts under your tree. There is that package that you have no idea what’s in the box. And then there’s that perfect gift that you have been waiting for for years! You’re certain you know what’s in this box!
Do you remember what it was like as a child on Christmas morning? Running down the stairs with unbridled excitement about tearing into packages. The thrill of knowing that you have been good lately so your parents have bought you that perfect gift. You know, the one that you have been waiting for all year … the new bicycle, the new doll house, that brand-new game console, or maybe for you it was a new puppy. Do you remember being a child hoping it’s going to be a good Christmas?
Few things will keep a child on the edge of their seat like staring at the gifts under the tree waiting for Christmas day. Christmas is a day of hope. Christmas gifts build up that sense of hope. That’s why your memory of the perfect Christmas gift stays with you forever. That’s also why the heartbreak of not getting that one gift you were hoping for stings for a long time. Christmas is the perfect time to take a look at where you’re placing your hope.
Cultural hope
There are two types of hope- and these two could not be further apart. The first is cultural hope. Cultural hope is the belief that the government can make your life better. It’s the belief that society is generally becoming better. It’s the kind of hope that if your circumstances change, your life will be better.
If you only have cultural hope, you are ripe for a massive letdown. The government can’t make your life better. The government can pass some laws to protect you but they can’t make you happy. Don’t look for hope in a new job. A new job can provide you more money but it can’t give you joy.
It’s also dangerous to hope in relationships. Even the relationships between friends and family can’t always satisfy the longings of your soul. The fact is, nothing lasts forever. So nothing can offer you eternal hope… except a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Christian hope
Only Jesus can provide hope that goes to the soul level (1 John 3:3). The Christian version of hope is a certainty of something that’s waiting for us in the future (Hebrews 11:1).
Christian hope is like a child’s certainty that the perfect gift is waiting for them under the Christmas tree. It’s just a matter of waiting until Christmas morning to rip into that package (Romans 5:3-5).
You don’t have to hope for the perfect gift this Christmas. It’s available to you right now. The perfect gift is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:24-25).
Christmas hope
Christmas hope is based on a promise. A promise that is as dependable as God himself. A promised that he WILL fulfill (Acts 13:23). Like a child dressed up and sitting by the tree as the sun breaks over the horizon on Christmas morning, we wait with anxious hope for all of God’s promises to be fulfilled in Jesus (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Do you have hope this Christmas? Is your hope rock solid that God will give you peace, joy, and fulfillment? Or, are you like the child under the tree, shaking the package- with no idea what’s inside- hoping that it’s something good. My wish for you this Christmas is that you will find hope only in Jesus!
