The Best Gift EverSample

God’s Gift

Sometimes a gift isn’t what you expected.

During all the hundreds of years that the Israelites were waiting for their Savior to be born, they were expecting a king—someone who would come and save them from all the people who had hurt them. And God did send a king! But not in the way that the Israelites were expecting.

After all, would you imagine that a king would be born in a stable? Or that he would grow up in a small town, learning how to become a carpenter? But that’s exactly how God sent Jesus into the world! 

When He was born, Jesus slept in a manger (that’s the food box for animals in a barn) and the very first people who came to see Him were shepherds. Shepherds were viewed as lowly in the community because they just took care of the sheep—something a lot of people didn’t want to do! But God didn’t care about that. 

In fact, He wanted the shepherds to be there to meet Jesus, to be the first people to see the Savior and King they had been promised so many years before! Think about how God sent shepherds to be the first to see Jesus, who was also called the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29, NLT).

He also wanted us to know that Jesus, God’s greatest gift, is for all people—no matter where we live or what language we speak, no matter what job we have or how important we might be. We’re all important because God loves us, and He sent Jesus as the perfect gift for all of us. 

Family Talk:

• Make a list of some of the gifts God’s given you. Try to think beyond just things like our family, friends, food, a house, etc. and use specific examples (like when God answered a prayer). Then stop to thank God for those gifts. And thank Him for the greatest gift of all—Jesus!


• Pray about how God can use you to give gifts to others. Maybe something as simple as a note of encouragement, a meal to a family in need or even a hug for someone who is having a hard day.