Bobby Bosler: Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast. I’m Bobby Bosler and I’m speaking to you from the Philadelphia area where I’ve gathered with my family to celebrate Christmas together this coming Sunday. I’m sure you are probably looking forward to celebrating Christmas with your family as well. And I’m sure as we are, you’re planning on opening gifts on Christmas morning. Maybe you’ve purchased some gifts for your siblings or for your parents, or maybe you’re listening to this podcast and you’re older and you’ve purchased gifts for your children. But I know one thing I’m looking forward to: my children opening the gifts that I’ve purchased and provided for them. And I’m sure my kids are looking forward to opening the gifts that I’ve purchased and provided for them as well, as much as I’m sure you’re looking forward to receiving gifts. But you know, the Christmas season is a time that’s not just about giving and receiving gifts, it’s a time where we celebrate the ultimate gift that has been given to us by God, our Father.

John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave.” Um, there’s a reason why we give gifts at Christmas and that’s because in a small way, it’s a picture of the great gift that God has given to us. Um, in fact, if you notice in that verse there, uh, John 3:16, it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” I don’t know if you’ve spent much time thinking about the gift that God has given to you, but it’s interesting that the gift actually, as it’s stated there in that verse, is not everlasting life. Though that’s for sure a product of that gift. In fact, the gift isn’t victory. The gift isn’t forgiveness. The gift isn’t reconciliation. The gift isn’t that we are declared innocent before God, justification. The gift as stated by that simple verse that we all know and love is, is only begotten son. Something I just want you to think about here this holiday season as we receive gifts and give gifts, just remember that the gift that God has given to you is not a theological concept. It’s not just a relational change. His gift is Jesus. You know, I personally, I’ve been thinking about this here today. Um, and, uh, you know, so many times, um, we understand that Jesus, uh, has given us eternal life. We understand that we have victory in Jesus as we sing.

But how many times do we neglect that gift? In fact, if you think about it, this coming Sunday morning, I doubt that come five, six, seven p.m., there will be any gifts left underneath the tree. How do I know that? Because I know myself, and I think if I know myself, I know you too. We’re just, we are just absolutely looking forward to tearing that paper off. We don’t do it like our grandmas do it, where they gingerly pull the tape off so as not to damage the paper so that she can reuse the same wrapping paper for your gift next year. We tear that stuff open because we’re so excited about looking what our parents or siblings or wife or spouse or whatever, what they’ve given to us as a gift. And what I want you to understand, Jesus is the gift. Don’t leave them under the tree. We may talk about Jesus here this holiday season. We may think about Him here this season. We may sing praises to Him here this season. We may rejoice with others about how God gave us the gift. But my question to you is not do you know about the gift, but have you unwrapped it? I was just here today reading a book that I’ve personally been helped many times throughout my life. And in this book, I want to read you a quote. It says, here, Jesus Christ does not want to be our helper. He wants to be our life. He does not want us to work for him. He wants us to let him do his work through us, using us as we use a pencil to write with, better still using us as one of the fingers on his hand. When our life is not only Christ’s, but Christ, our life will be a winning life, for he cannot fail. And a winning life is a fruit-bearing life, a serving life. The thought that’s been on my heart here today. is God has given me and you Jesus as a gift here this holiday season. And it’s not enough just to know about him, not just to talk about him, but let’s take him as our life. You realize Jesus doesn’t just want to help you here this holiday season. He wants to live you this holiday season. Jesus doesn’t just want to give you victory this holiday season. He wants to be your victory. You know, even just a few minutes ago, I knelt down on my hands and knees and I said, Jesus, I don’t just need your help now. I need you. I don’t just want victory from you. I want you. Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve trusted Jesus Christ as my savior. Um, long time ago, 27 years ago, um, I’ve been His child ever since then. I’ve taken the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And yet how many times though we know He’s our eternal life, we don’t take Him for our today life. You see, you understand something, Jesus is victorious. So if you take Him as your life for today, His victory will become your victory. You understand, He doesn’t just give you victory, He gives you Himself. He is victory. You see, some of you are struggling with things. And in fact, I’m sure some of you this coming week, with the change of pace, you will be tempted to do things you haven’t done maybe in a long time.

Maybe some of you, you’ve been in consistent defeat. And what I’m trying to tell you here today, the gift under the tree isn’t victory. The gift under the tree is Jesus. And when you take Him, you’ll find victory. Um, when you take Him, you’ll find patience. When you take Him, you’ll find peace. When you take Him, you’ll find joy. You see, so many times we look for those things when really God has already given those things to us in Jesus. So how do we open the gift? It’s very simple. There’s a Bible verse in Galatians 2:20. I’m sure you’ve heard it. You probably know it by heart. It says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me. You see that? He gave himself as the gift. And the way you unwrap that gift and benefit from all that we have in Jesus is by simply depending upon him to live his life through us. You know, fruit. God wants your life to be fruitful here this holiday season. God wants your life to be powerful this holiday season. But don’t make the mistake as I’ve made so many times before and seek fruit or seek power, seek Christ. For He is the fountain from which all of those things flow. I know this has been a little bit conceptual here today, but I want you to understand here this holiday season, we rejoice that Christ is the gift of eternal life to all of us. But He’s not just the gift of eternal life. He’s the gift of the victorious life. Open Him up. Depend on Him. Yield to Him, and live his victorious life here this holiday season. Really, this concept is core to what it means to be a part of the Thee Generation because the Thee Generation is a generation of young people who are committed to total surrender and total dependence. That is the essence of life.