By Larry Stover
Stover lives in Valley Grande and is pastor at Praise Park Ministries Church of the Nazarene.

Christmas is just a week away! People are busy making those last minute purchases and preparations.  Stress is mounting for those who have waited to the last minute to get it all together. In the midst of our journey toward Christmas comes an Advent message from God that says, “I sent Jesus as my ultimate demonstration of love.”

To fully understand his love we need to remind ourselves of the message given in the Gospel of John, chapter three, verses sixteen and seventeen which read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

This is the heart of scripture.  Jesus came to reconcile man back to God the father. It’s a simple but powerful message.  God loves you.

He gave us all the “gift” of Jesus Christ.  If we accept him as our personal Savior and live for him every day, we will have eternal life in heaven.

The Bible is replete with passages about this love.  Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  1 John 4:10 builds on this demonstration, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  That is powerful.  The number one purpose that flows from the heart of God is that we consciously accept this love and allow the Lord to live through us every day. God is willing to reach out to us and do whatever is necessary to convict and convince us that accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is the central focus of our lives and the central theme of the Bible.

The message is clear as found in 2 Peter 3:9, “He (God) is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  This is love that never stops loving and caring for his creation.  No matter how far we may wander away from God’s will and plan for our lives, He never reneges on his commitment to reconcile us back to himself.

The Christ of Christmas is on a mission today. The celebration cannot be consummated without understanding that Jesus came to “save the people from their sins.”  The message of Christmas is about the salvation of all mankind.

There is a revival going on across the world today.  Tens of thousands of people are accepting Jesus Christ into their lives every day.  Statistics now tell us that Africa is the most Christianized continent on earth.  Who would have believed that 100 years ago!

Are you a follower of Jesus Christ today?  That is the real question of Christmas. Knowing Jesus is the greatest gift of all makes Christmas “Simply Beautiful.”