THE GIFT THAT STILL GIVES

 I will never forget when my son Ben was 3 years old, he wanted a GI Joe aircraft carrier. It

was big and had over 100 pieces to it. That’s all he wanted. He got up early, came running down the stairs to the Christmas tree- and there was no GI Joe Aircraft carrier. Instead, a cute little GI Joe Teddy bear. He looked at me, trying ever so hard to smile, trying to hide that I broke his little heart. I switched a switch, and from the dining room came a noise that he understood could only come from the GI Joe Aircraft Carrier.

What I most fondly remember is the look of surprise on his little face when I gave him something that he truly would love. That was 44 years ago. It was there that I learned my joy of giving was far greater than any gift I had ever received outside of the gift that Jesus Christ gave me.

Now that I’m older, I understand that the greatest joy at Christmas doesn’t come from what we open. It comes from what we share.

And that’s exactly what God did at Christmas. He shared. He gave us Himself.

Take a moment to consider the magnitude of this gift. As John tells it, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (1:14). Those few words punch far above their weight. They hold the mystery of the Incarnation, the moment when the Creator of Heaven and earth stepped into time, took on human form, and lived among us. The Creator stooped to enter His creation. The invisible did the unthinkable by becoming visible. The Giver of all good gifts became the gift itself.

Perhaps even more remarkable, nearly a millennium before that first Christmas, Isaiah had prophesied, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Is 9:2). To whom was Isaiah referring? To the light that arrived in Bethlehem’s manger: the Light of the world, wrapped not only in swaddling clothes but also in humility and grace.

That’s what God did. But consider for a moment what He didn’t do. He didn’t outsource the mission to an angelic envoy or rearrange the clouds to form a message written in the sky. What He did was come Himself, in person, to rescue us. That’s why the Christmas narrative is the story of the God who gives, not because we deserve it, but because His love compels Him to.

And here’s the wonder of it all: the gift didn’t end that night in Bethlehem. It’s the gift that always keeps giving. Every time someone opens the Scriptures and encounters the Gospel, the Christmas miracle continues. The same Word that became flesh long ago still speaks the words of life today. Through the written Word of God, the presence of Christ meets us where we are—comforting us, convicting us, and transforming us.

I think of a BTTB supporter named Bruce, a former ministry leader who recently told us about a midlife crisis in which he began to abuse alcohol and drift from God. Having left the ministry and started a business, he was struggling to regain intimacy in his walk with the Lord. Through a seemingly random series of events, he became familiar with Back to the Bible and our emphasis on absorbing Scripture by reading it, reflecting on it, and acting on it through prayer and sharing it with others.

Over the course of the next year, Bruce wrote, he found his resentment toward God dissipating, his feelings of shame lifting, and his purpose in life becoming increasingly clear. There’s more to his story, powerful stuff, but suffice it to say that his reengagement with God’s Word—fostered in part by Back to the Bible’s ministry—is yet another example of the power of the gospel.

Bruce’s story is yet another illustration that the greatest gift we can give others this Christmas is the gift of God’s Word. Not just by wrapping up a Bible and placing it under a tree, but by living and sharing the truth it contains. By speaking words of encouragement. By forgiving when it’s hard. By showing kindness when it’s undeserved. By letting people see in us the same grace that once met us.

When we share the Word, we’re continuing what began in Bethlehem. We’re unleashing a power that changes hearts and transforms lives. In a nutshell, the miracle of Christmas multiplies every time someone hears about Jesus and begins to follow Him.

So as you gather with loved ones this year, take time to thank God for His indescribable gift. And then ask Him how you might pass that gift along.

Maybe it’s through a conversation with a friend who’s struggling. Maybe it’s by reading the Christmas story with your grandchildren. Maybe it’s by supporting ministries that carry God’s Word into places you’ll never go.

Whatever form it takes, every act of sharing becomes a reflection of the first and greatest gift: the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth.

That’s the gift worth sharing. And share it we must.