“There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us.”1 Timothy 2:5 (CEV)
At the heart of Christmas is Good News. It’s not the good news of presents under a tree. It’s not the good news of a big meal. It’s not even the good news of spending time with friends and family.
Christmas is about the Good News of God’s love.
The Bible says all of us are lost without God. We’re directionless, we’re without lasting joy, and our eternity in heaven isn’t secure.
But the Good News of Christmas is that God sent Jesus to seek and save the lost—to seek and save you and me. The Bible says, “There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us” (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV).
If you’ve ever spent time in church, you’ve likely heard the word salvation many times. But you may not know what that word really means when it comes to Jesus.
Salvation means that Jesus came to rescue us. We can’t solve all of our problems on our own. Without Jesus we’re trapped in the expectations of others. We’re trapped in living for the approval of our peers. We’re trapped in addictions. We’ve tried to change over and over again, but we don’t have the power to escape. Because we can’t rescue ourselves, Jesus came to rescue us.
Salvation means that Jesus came to recover us. We all long to recover parts of our lives that have been lost. Without Christ, we long to recover our strength, our confidence, our reputation, our innocence, and our relationship with God. Jesus came to recover all of that for us.
Salvation means that Jesus came to reconnect us. Many people think that God will scold them if they come back to him. But God isn’t mad at you. He’s mad about you. Jesus came to earth on the first Christmas to reconcile us to God—to let us live reconnected, in harmony with him again.
When Jesus came to earth, he gave us the gift of himself; he offered us salvation. But too many people celebrate his birthday without accepting this free gift. It goes unwrapped year after year after year.
What about you? Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation? This Christmas, open up the most important present you’ve been given: a new relationship with God through Jesus.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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