A Gift of Honor - Denise Pass

Scripture:

Hebrews 2:10 (CEV)

“Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God’s children to be saved and to share in his glory. “

Seeing Deeper:

The old labels of shame and hopelessness have been removed and cannot hold us back anymore when we open the gift of honor and wear our identity in Christ, instead.

This Christmas, may we look a little harder underneath our trees to discover the hidden gifts of Christmas. Christ gave gifts that keep giving all year—day after day. Will we open them up?

The smell of pine fills the air and the glimmer of white lights and decorations do their best to tempt us to find joy. And hope. And honor. And the deepest needs of our souls. But sometimes other things can inhibit living the abundant life Christ promises and we can live defeated lives. The gifts of God revealed at Christmas sometimes remain unwrapped. Shame we feel from labels we or others apply to us can keep us bound, afraid to try to go past the limiting boundaries that are defining us.

A deeper dive into the Christmas message reveals a Savior Who chose to bear what we couldn’t. There as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we realize He chose to bear labels on our behalf and we discover the miracle that even in our brokenness, there are gifts to be found.

When we consider the season of giving, we don’t always think of what Christ gave us. Sure, we can say he gave us himself – He gave us salvation. But how that manifests in our lives is more gifts than we ever could you enumerate.

This season as we consider our savior afresh, may we be awestruck by what the gift of Himself means in our lives. Our savior chose to come in shame so He could restore power and honor. We cannot look at Christ’s birth without looking at his death. He came with the purpose of laying down His life for us. And the manner in which He laid down His life revealed His heart toward His people.

He was born in a scandalous situation. He was born in a horrible financial situation. And ultimately he would choose the most shameful death. Why? Our savior choose to walk and live and die in humility to restore the honor we were originally given from the foundations of the beginning of the world.

In looking up the definition of glory, Google reveals that glory is a “high renown or honor won by notable achievements.” Christ achieved salvation for us, but invites us to share in His glory, too. Unfathomable. Undeserved. Indescribable gift. But it is ours if we will accept it. And this gift of honor bestowed upon us applies new labels that stick for eternity. Forgiven. Healed. Loved unconditionally. Child of God. Righteous. The old labels of shame and hopelessness have been removed and cannot hold us back anymore when we open the gift of honor and wear our identity in Christ, instead.