Matthew 7:11 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Every child in the United States wants to wake up Christmas morning and see their stockings bulging with presents and wrapped gifts beneath a tree sparkling with lights with limbs decorated with ornaments and garland. This is because this holiday is one that has become synonymous with giving. It does seem appropriate seeing as even the three wise men brought gifts to our savior:
Matthew 2:11 “Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Father gave us the gift of Her beloved child who would eventually take on the sins of the world and suffer a horrible death on the cross so that we may be saved. It was the greatest act of compassion and he was and is the greatest gift mankind will ever receive. However, this gift from Father was not a material thing. It was a gift of love.
It was a news story on Good Morning America along with our heavenly Father that inspired me to write this article. The news story, was reporting on all the letters to Santa that were arriving at the Post Office. A few of them they opened and read on the air and it occurred to me, how letters to Santa Claus, a fictional character have somehow replaced our prayers to God and because the world has become so focused on material things, many have effectively been blinded as to what the greatest gift of all even is.
Many people are suffering right now. Those who have lost their jobs, their homes, are in danger of losing their homes or just fighting to keep the lights on. Some are living without lights and heat, transportation, medications and medical care, necessities for their children like diapers and formula and others are unable to feed their families at all. And…many children, more than usual, will be going without Christmas presents this year.
Yes, there will be tears or sadness and disappointment this year on Christmas day. A lot of parents are in distress, not only because they are struggling to make ends meet, but because they will be unable to give their children the material things that they want this Christmas. Children will cry because they did not receive what they wanted for Christmas and parents will cry because they were unable to give them their hearts desire. They will cry because they are being forced to live without the material things they desire. They may even feel that God has abandoned them.
What so many of us fail to see is that Father gives each of us gifts not just one or two days of the year, but every moment of every single day. This earth we live on, the air that we breathe the food that nourishes us and the clothes on our backs are all gifts from Father and that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all that She has given us. Father is constantly giving and giving and giving…
Ecclesiastes 3:13 “It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts.”
The gifts Father constantly lavishes upon us cannot be purchased with money, gold or silver because they are all gifts of love and love cannot be purchased. But of all the gifts Father gives, the greatest gift of all is quite simply Her love.
Her love is so precious and it should be shared. So I urge all who are reading this right now who may be in a situation where they are unable to give or receive material gifts that you remember and actually feel within your heart the gift of Father’s love. Then, share the gift of Father’s love by saying the words “I love you”. Her love is great and cannot be measured, and if it weren’t for Her love we would not be here today.
If you are unable to give your loved one’s the material things they want, give them the gift that lasts forever, for the material things of this world will soon pass away, but Father’s love is eternal. It truly is the only gift any of us really needs. God’s love is the greatest gift of all.
1 Corinthians 13:13 “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Remember this Christmas season, that God loves you, that while your situation may seem hopeless that She has not forgotten you, and that She loves you as Her unique and precious child.
0 Comments
I think that we all go through various ups and downs in our lives. There are days when we feel elated and days when we’re down in the dumps… even when we have everything in the world to be thankful for. As a minister, these days aren’t any easier for me than they are for the average person because I too am just an average person who is no better than anyone else on the face of this earth and in fact most definitely far worse than many. Job 10:12 You gave me life and faithful love, and Your care has guarded my life. The other night I was thinking about all the past events of my life thus far. They were mainly the events that took place in which I encountered a crossroads – where I had or chose to make a decision that altered the course of my life. And, I was thinking about how through the majority of them God did not play a part in the decisions I made. Not because He didn't want to, but because I didn't let Him. Never once did I ask Him via prayer what He might want me to do and never once did I take into consideration what Christ Jesus would have done while he lived on this earth. I have to wonder now, how different my life might have been had I made God a part of my every decision making process. |