It is now one week before Christmas, six shopping days remaining for those of you that like the hustle and bustle of last minute buying, to say nothing of the deeper discounts on items that can save you money. Or maybe you are one that purchases your Christmas gifts and has them all wrapped by the weekend after Thanksgiving, I was never one of those!
Actually one of my favorite Christmases was when my sons were little and we didn't have very much to spend on gifts, so I bought the toys that the boys wanted and bought them outfits that I wanted for them and I made all the rest of the presents. Baked cookies, and homemade bread for friends from church, knitted my husband a cable knit sweater, did a crewel embroidery of 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, my family and Mom and Dad loved the gifts because they knew the time and love that was behind every gift. If I had all the money in the world to buy anything I wanted it wouldn't have been as special because it didn't cost me my love or my time.
Yet we will never match our Lord when it comes to gift giving. Jesus gave us life through His death on a cross. Jesus gave us forgiveness and took our sins. Jesus poured out His life and His love on a world that ignored Him, on those that rejected and mocked Him, and yes on those who crucified Him.
And His gifts which are over the top lavish just keep coming to those who put their faith and trust in Him. Imagine this Christmas morning seeing gifts, beautifully wrapped under the tree and the card on each one has your name on it. Go ahead, open them; PEACE (you won't find that at Bloomingdales,Tiffany or Harrods) JOY (deep down that can't be touched by sorrow, pain or trials) LOVE (unconditional, nothing can separate you from this love) FAITH (this gift is the key to all the other gifts) THE HOLY SPIRIT (God within you, forever and ever) ETERNAL LIFE WITH CHRIST (everyone lives eternally but relatively few live eternally with Christ) LIGHT (God rescues us from the domain of darkness and we share our inheritance with all other believers in the Light)!
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, yet we give gifts to one another! Is there anything we can give our Savior, our Messiah? Yes!! We can share Jesus Christ with others that do not know Him!! This is good, pleasing and acceptable in His sight that we tell others the Good News, that we introduce them to the One whose birth we celebrate at Christmas!!! Joy to the world the Lord has come let earth receive her King, let every heart prepare Him room.
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