With, "Seasons Greetings", and, "Happy Holidays" slowly replacing, "Merry Christmas", and ever increasing numbers of distorted and misguiding 'Christmas fables' on the market as well, let's just take a moment to cover some of the amazing eternal truths of Christmas.

Opening the package received from our Heavenly Father that first Christmas morning, we find the newborn Christ child, Jesus (meaning 'Savior'), embodied in human flesh, lying in a manger (The gift of 'The bread of life' itself, placed in a feeding-trough). Being born of a woman into mortality, He would provide 'The Way' for fallen man to be 'born- again', through Him (Jesus) into immortality. God-sent, He would forever reconcile the relationship God had only briefly enjoyed with man in the Garden of Eden.

Jesus lived approximately 33 years, and every moment of His life was a sinless miracle. Then, in obedience to His Father's will, He willingly laid down His life for fallen 'man', suffering the brutal, torturous death of Roman crucifixion. His tormentors, however, had unwittingly crucified the innocent Son of God, and the grave could not hold Him. Three days later He arose from the dead and walked out of the tomb, forever the living resurrected Savior to all who will receive Him, God's victorious conqueror of sin, death, Hell, and the grave.

From that moment on, because of what that Christ child born on that first Christmas morning did, whoever will simply believe in Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord is born into the family of God, rescued from an eternal Hell, and given an eternal home in Heaven prepared for them by God Himself. "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. (John 3:16 - NLT)

But God doesn't just take us in to Heaven the moment we accept Him. Rather, He has commanded us to 'occupy' while here, and to, "Take the Gospel (the Good News) into all the world" (Mark 16:15) , wherever and however He 'calls us' to do so. And since born-again believers are still subject to the wiles of the devil and the tests and trials of life on Earth, God had a myriad of additional items included in that first Christmas morning gift package. Here are just a few of those amazing truths.

Heavenly Adoption: God adopts us into his family when we accept His Son Jesus, and it is His good pleasure to do so. (Eph 1:4-5 - NIV)

Heavenly Citizenship: As His children we become citizens of Heaven. (Phil 3:20)

Seated in authority, in Christ Jesus: As adopted children of God, we are seated in spiritual authority, at the right hand of God, in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:6)

Ambassadors: We are given the ministry of reconciliation as God's Ambassadors on Earth. (2 Cor 5: 19-20 - NLT)

Riches in Him: We may or may not have an abundance of physical wealth here, but oh the riches that await each one who has accepted Jesus' Love and steps through the gate and into that eternal Heavenly city." (2 Cor 8:9 - NLT)

There are many more. Go ahead, and in the spirit of this joyous season, open a few of these amazing gifts yourself.

(Acts 2:17-21), (Rom 5:1-9), Rom 5:17-19), (Rom 8:28), (Rom 8:31- 39), (1 Cor 2:9-10), (1 Cor 10:13), (1 Cor 15:51-52), (2 Cor 2:14), (2 Cor 5:1), (2 Cor 5:17-21), (2 Cor 12:9), (Gal 1:3), (Gal 3:13-14), (Gal 4:26), (Eph 1:3), (Eph 2:1- 10), (Eph 3:20-21), (Eph 6:10-18), (Phil 4:13), (Phil 4:19), Phil 4:20-21).

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