They
exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created
things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Romans 1:25 NIV
We know that gratitude is wonderful. We enjoy being thanked for gifts we give and
God enjoys it when we sincerely thank Him for the gifts He gives.
We also know that the gifts we find under the tree this Christmas will not make us
permanently happy. These gifts have
limits. They might break or wear
out. They may even be designed to bring
us a one time experience of happiness.
Acknowledging the limits of the gifts we
receive is the prompt we need for a greater gratitude in our hearts: the gratitude that
is thankful for the Giver of the gifts more than the gifts themselves. The best way we can start the
Christmas day is with praise to the almighty, all-knowing and faithfully loving God. It’s good and right to thank Him for His
amazing gift of salvation in Christ and the many other gifts He gives, but it's even better to to praise Him for being
everything that we need for a full and good life.
This is the kind of praise that helps to detach us from our materialism and helps to strengthen our trust in the absolute goodness of God. On Christmas day, set aside some time
at the very beginning of the day to praise Him for his goodness, mercy and
love. Praise Him for His
faithfulness. Acknowledge that in
revealing Himself to us and in giving
Himself to us, God has given us the greatest gift of all.
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