You don’t realize the meaning of Christmas until you take Jesus out of the manger and put Him in your heart.

How silly it would be to receive a gift this Christmas and leave it unopened. You would never do that. It might look pretty sitting under the tree, or on a shelf (after the tree has been chopped into kindling), but the decorative value of the package is likely to be minimal compared to the usefulness of the gift itself.

Many people never realize the real meaning of God’s Christmas gift–His Son, Jesus. They keep Him wrapped in a religious package, and then set Him on a shelf in their life because He has some decorative value to them. But they never tear away the religious wrappings. They never take Him out of the box and have a real relationship with Him.

Please, don’t make the tragic mistake of keeping Jesus under the wrapping. Enjoy the full benefit of Him by getting to know Him personally and intimately.

The Savior–yes, the Messiah, the Lord–has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! Luke 2:11