Acts 10:38  How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Do you still have those feelings of peace and good will towards men? Christmas is over and life resumes. Was the season one for a moment and now you are looking forward to New Year’s Eve and all the emotions that night brings?

There is a life for many people that is nothing more than expectation and recovery. They look and prepare for meaningful events to occur in their lives as if those days and the meaning add value to life.

Allow me to interject a thought about oppression. If Christ is not in you, you are oppressed by the devil whether you believe it or not. Some will snicker at the idea while others will acknowledge it and still blame God for not pulling them out from under that oppression.

Those who snicker do not feel the oppression because they are no threat to the prince of the power of the air. The world, the things of the dust, dead things, are his dominion and Satan rules there. Play along and you get along. Satan cares nothing for those who are of no threat to his dominion.

People who feel the oppression and blame God have one thing going for them, they believe there is a God. As to blaming God, if you want God to be on your side, then get on His side. Leave the Oppressive Dominion and enter the Kingdom of God.

Ephesins 2:6-7 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

God does nothing apart from Christ. Make Him the Lord of your life to escape oppression.

Matthew 2:11 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.

Today around the world children are replicating the first Christmas in opening their gifts. As with the baby Jesus, children have no expectation of the gifts given. A baby has no hope in this day. In years to come, as they grow and realize the significance of the Christmas there may very well be an expectation of hope born of desire.

Soon those hopes are either met or disappointed. The relationship between the giver and receiver becomes more and more complex. No parent wants to disappoint the children they love. The children have no idea about the complexities of parental responsibilities. Budgets and bills and debts are not the purview of children.

Somewhere in maturity a sense of giving is born. It is not enough to receive. We eventually turn into the gift giver, even if we do not yet have children. A hope and expectation of having the gift fill a heart with gladness becomes part of this new experience.

What is the better hope in gifting?

Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Is there a better hope for this world other than peace and good will towards each other? If you think there is then I suspect that hope would be selfish and immature.

Christ came into this world to deliver peace and good will towards us all. That gift, once again, must be received to be realized. A gift unopened is still a mystery. Unlike those Christmas gifts under the tree, the contents of His gift is well known, well documented and holds the promise of that hope for a peaceful and better life.