Christmas morning!

I love Christmas morning. It is awesome! Watching my children get so excited in the days leading up to Christmas, and then BAM! it's here and they are ripping open a package and grinning ear to ear because it's the set of paint brushes, or the drum sticks, or the video game they were hoping for. It was the same for me when I was a child. Fun, exciting and full of love.

We all know the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. Most years, but I can't say every year we put the kids to bed on Christmas Eve by reading the story of his birth from the book of Matthew. What an incredible gift God gave to each of us that follow Jesus. He came to this earth, lived among us experiencing the reality of life and then sacrificed himself for our sins. A "little" better than paint brushes, drum sticks or video games.

Most of my life as a Christian has been lived viewing this gift as the most relevant aspect of Christianity. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation. I have heard countless sermons in church, speakers elsewhere and read in many books that this sacrifice was made for me. That I can have a personal relationship with Jesus. And, it was. And, I do.

But let's look at what Jesus himself said about the reason for his sacrifice. As his crucifixion was nearing he spoke to his disciples saying in John 12:27-28 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour?' No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name."

What I never realized in the first 25 years of my Christian life is that salvation is not for me, nor for you. It is for God's glory. We think so little of God that we put our salvation above His achievement. Above His kingdom. The birth of my life is a gift to me from God. My death and eternal life is as well.

What will I do on this earth in between to bring glory to Him?