"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh." — Matthew 2:11

When you know that you have the perfect gift on the way, your heart is filled with emotions such as excitement, anticipation, expectation, joy, etc. You’ve already done your research and played it through your head a thousand times.

It’s just what you wanted; just what you needed, and you just know it’s going to make you happy. Some of us will check our phones and call the company directly if our gift is a day late. There’s just something about the feeling of knowing you have a gift on the way.

After the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, for centuries our souls yearned for a peace that could surpass all understanding and a joy that was unspeakable. We needed a savior!

God promised us that he would give us a sign. The Bible says, in Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." 700 years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah spoke this prophecy and the fullness of this gift was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Most of us have heard the story of Christmas, that Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary as a child of the Holy Spirit and that he would save the world from their sins. However, it’s easy to get distracted from the celebration of Christ’s birth when you have a "Christmas sale" on every corner, Santa Claus in every advertisement, Christmas parties at every school, Christmas celebrations in every office, but you never see Jesus, the man of the hour.

When the wise men recognized the authority of the unique gift they had before them, they bowed down and presented the most expensive gifts they could find. While many of us are looking to receive a gift, we should be focused on what we can give. God gave his only begotten Son to us as a gift and in return the wise men gave gifts to Jesus. This initiated a timeless lesson on giving. A gift was given to us and now we should give back to the gift.

The Bible says in the book of Matthew: 25, "for I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they themselves also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and did not take care of you? Then he will answer them, truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." Don’t lose sight of the gift of Jesus Christ and celebrate him by giving to others. Many are facing challenging time this season and whatever you do for others will be a tremendous blessing back to you. Give the gift and the spirit of the season.

Isaiah 9:6-7, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Jesus came down through 42 generations, from Adam unto Christ that sin might be forgiven and souls could be set free. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. As we hustle through this holiday season, don’t forget to give the gift of Jesus to others and make this Christmas a season of giving.

Hayes is the pastor of New Day Community Church and the President of the United Ministerial Alliance.