DAY 3 | The Gift That Exposed My Heart | More Than a Holiday | When Christmas Becomes Personal

Today, we continue our series with the topic - The Gift That Exposed My Heart in line with the overall theme of More Than a Holiday: When Christmas Becomes Personal. I pray that we would all come out on the other end of these sessions more in love with the reason for the season.

At some point in our lives, we must realize and accept that Christmas does more than announce that a gift was given—it exposes and calls us to examine how that gift is received.

Scripture shows us that the arrival of Jesus did not produce one unified response. Instead, it revealed hearts. 

Matthew 2 tells us that when Jesus was born, some rejoiced, some feared, and some were completely indifferent. The same gift encountered very different postures.

Luke 2:10–11 (NIV) records the angel’s words to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.” 

The shepherds responded with movement. Verse 16 says “they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” They welcomed what heaven announced. Their posture was open.

But not everyone received Jesus that way. Matthew 2:3 (NIV) tells us, “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” 

Fear entered the room. Jesus was not threatening because of what He did, but because of who He was. Herod feared losing control. Power often resists surrender. Fear did not come from disbelief—it came from recognising that Jesus would change everything.

Then there were those who simply ignored Him. John 1:10–11 (NKJV) says, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” 

This may be the most sobering response of all—not rejection, not fear, just indifference. Busy lives. Full schedules. No room. 

And many of us can indeitify with this. We have people in our lives who treat us the same way. Or we ourselves treat people this way. We act like the other does not exist. This is food for thought and action.

Christmas reveals that belief alone is not the issue. Posture is. James 2:19 (NIV) reminds us, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Belief without surrender does not transform. How we receive Jesus determines what we experience of Him.

Real life reflects these same responses. 

Some of us welcomed Jesus eagerly at one point. Remember when we first believed? When we first got baptised? 

Then, over time, some of us became guarded. We lost that enthusiasm. 

Disappointment can do that. 

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) warns us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Guarding the heart can protect—but it can also block. A guarded heart may still believe, but it hesitates to trust.

Others respond with fear. Fear of change. Fear of exposure. Fear of what obedience might cost. Luke 19:21 (NIV) captures this mindset in the servant who said, “I was afraid of you.” Fear distorts love and reframes God as someone to manage rather than trust.

And then there is distraction. Luke 10:40 (NIV) describes Martha as “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” Jesus was in the house, but her attention was elsewhere. Distraction doesn’t deny Jesus—it sidelines Him. 

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” He is present, but not forced. Just being close doesn’t mean we receive Jesus.

Christmas exposes all of this gently but honestly. 

Simeon recognized it when he held the infant Jesus and declared in Luke 2:34 (NIV), “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many… and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” Jesus reveals hearts by His presence alone.

The empowerment question presses us inward: How have I responded to God’s love—open, guarded, or distracted? 

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV) urges us, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” This is not condemnation—it is an invitation. God exposes not to shame, but to heal.

So, for those who feel open, Christmas is affirmation. Luke 2:20 (NIV) tells us, ‘The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.’

For those who feel guarded, Christmas is a reassurance. Psalm 84:11 (NIV) says, “The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” 

And for those who feel distracted, Christmas is a gentle call back. Matthew 6:33 (NIV) reminds us, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”

Family, the gift of Jesus never changes. But what it reveals in us often does. Christmas does not just celebrate what God gave—it invites us to notice how we receive. 

And that awareness is where transformation begins. 

As we come to the end of this year—and truly, every day—we are given the opportunity to examine ourselves and respond to what God is revealing, allowing that awareness to lead us into real change for the better.