Titus 3: 4-5
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”

Imagine with me for a minute a world without Christmas. Not just a world without Christmas lights, trees, gifts, and gatherings, but a world without Jesus. Imagine with me a world in which our Savior had never been born. A world in which the embodiment of love, joy, and peace had never entered. A world in which mercy had never come.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of mercy is, “Compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power.”

Mercy is at the very heart of Christmas. While it is easy to take Christmas and the gift of Jesus for granted, it is important to remember that God did not have to send Jesus. God did not have to extend mercy to us through the gift of Jesus on that first Christmas. Mercy is a gift God chose to give.

I was recently reading in the book of Titus and chapter 3 verses 4-7 stood out to me in a whole new way this Christmas season. This passage says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

The Bible is clear that each and every one of us are guilty of sin (Romans 3:23). We are all offenders of God’s righteous standard who would be destined to stand guilty before God if it were not for Jesus. But that is what Christmas is all about. It is about God in His great compassion and love giving us the gift of mercy through Jesus Christ. Because if there had been no Christmas, there would have been no crucifixion, no resurrection, and no hope for mankind – no hope for you or for me.

This Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us a take time to thank God for His great gift of mercy, without which we would have to pay the ultimate penalty for our own sin.

I pray this Christmas, more than ever before you understand the love God has for you. That you understand it was because of love for you that God chose to extend mercy and send Jesus. More so, I pray this Christmas you are celebrating the birth of your personal Lord and Savior.

If you have not yet accepted God gift of mercy, of His gift of Jesus, may you decide to do so this Christmas!

I’d love to hear from you, what does God’s gift of mercy on that first Christmas mean to you today?