We refer to Christmas as the season of giving. Most of us try hard
to find gifts that friends and family will like, but not all gifts are
equal. Some gifts come with a subtle hint, like an exercise machine or a
book about weight loss. Other gifts are those that the giver really
wants for himself. But the best gifts are those that come from someone
who loves us and knows what we want.
Last Christmas, my pastor, Jim Samra, challenged us to think about
Christ’s coming in another way. We know that Jesus was God’s perfect
gift to us (Rom. 6:23), but Pastor Jim added another thought. He said
that His coming to earth could also be looked at as a gift that Jesus
gave to His Father. Jesus loved His Father and knew that what He wanted
more than anything else was for us, His creation, to be reconciled to
Him. Through His incarnation, Jesus made it possible for us to be a holy
and blameless present to God (Col. 1:22).
Thinking of ourselves as a gift to God makes us want to be a present
worth the cost, “fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work
and increasing in the knowledge of God” (v.10).
Dear Lord, from whom all blessings flow,
Most precious gifts dost Thou bestow;
So truly faithful may I be
As Thou art gracious unto me. —Roworth
Most precious gifts dost Thou bestow;
So truly faithful may I be
As Thou art gracious unto me. —Roworth
God’s highest Gift should awaken our deepest gratitude.
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