Tis the season to celebrate and give thanks for the greatest gift mankind has or will ever receive. The gift given by Almighty God, sovereign authority of creation and life, can never be equaled or duplicated. It is to this cause and purpose we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior on Dec. 25. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world, is mankind’s bridge to Almighty God in the Christian faith.

The gift of salvation is free to all who will believe, repent, accept and live it. How many things can you think of that is free for the asking?  Precious few would be my guess and how life transforming would it be if they were free? The gift of salvation is the gift that keeps on giving and ensures a place in eternity. A place of great rejoicing and happiness in the presence of our Lord where there are no tears or disappointments. What a wonderful gift from God.

The act of gift giving at Christmas is symbolic of God’s gift to His creation, mankind. He loved us so much He sent His son as a perfect sacrifice to redeem us from sin.

Christ’s birth brings out the best in people.  There are so many acts of kindness and compassion this time of year it renews your faith in humanity.

There are those who ensure our veterans in VA Hospitals aren’t forgotten by visiting and sharing gifts to all confined there. Many see that the needy and destitute have food and toys for their children through unselfish individual acts of which they want to remain anonymous.

There are organized efforts such as the U.S. Marine Corps’ “Toy for Tots,” “Samaritan’s Purse Shoeboxes” for children around the world, the Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree” and many, many more.

The faithfulness and goodness of organizations like the Salvation Army treats every day as Christ‘s birthday with compassionate exemplary giving. The local Food Bank and food banks across America provide food to those who do not have basic sustenance not only at Christmas, but all year long. What a blessing they are and the wonderful people who donate time, money and food for this endeavor.

Christmas brings about a giving and lending a helping hand to those less fortunate than ourselves.

It all points to Jesus’ birth and the greatest gift of all.

So, “Live your life so that when your feet hit the floor in the morning Satan shudders and says “Oh No, he’s awake!”