The Undeserved Present

I DESERVE to eat that brownie because I have had a bad day.  I DESERVE to have a vacation because I have worked so hard this year.  I DESERVE to have another child because I am a good person.  I DESERVE to hold a grudge against that person because of what they did to me.  I DESERVE to live in this nice house and buy what I want because it is the American dream.  I DESERVE NOTHING!
This is my inner monologue.  What is yours?  What do you think you deserve?  We live in a world that thinks that because of things that we do, that we deserve to be rewarded.  We are teaching it to our children in an alarming way(I am preaching to the choir on this one!).  We reward them for good behavior instead of expecting it.
It has hit me pretty hard, that the most precious gift that we can be given, is something that we will never be able to earn.  Salvation is something that NONE OF US deserve.  We don't deserve it because we love God(because we don't).  We don't deserve it because we are good people(because we aren't).  But, we are given it because GOD LOVES US.  That is the only reason that we are heirs to God.  There is no reason that we should be even be able to utter the name of God, except for the fact that he has chosen to allow it.
This is how God showed love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love:   Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  1 John 4: 9&10
Do you know what we deserve?  I life in hell.  No matter how "good" we are.  No matter how "spiritual" we are.  No matter how "charitable" we are.  We deserve hell.  Plan and simple.  We will never be able to be anything other than sinners.
Thank you Lord, that you loved us enough to send us the perfect Christmas present.  Your one and only Son that would one day die on the cross as a payment for sin.  Not because we deserve a Savior, but because you loved us that much!