The Greatest Gift God Has Given Us Is Himself

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.  

The Joy of Giving with No Strings Attached

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.                                            

                                                                                                  Luke 6:32-34  NIV

    

    We live in world of traders.  Everyone is trying get more than what they have.  They trade time, money and other resources in an effort to secure what they think will make their lives better.  It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of trading and miss out on the joy of giving.  We give when we seek the benefit of someone else and leave whatever personal gain may come our way in the hands of our Heavenly Father.

   This week, ask God to lead you to an opportunity to give with no expectation of a return gift.  You might give time to help someone accomplish a project.  You might give a gift to someone who can’t afford to give a gift back to you or to someone whom you ask not to give a gift in return.  

Reflect on how much you have been given by God and then discover the joy of sharing it with someone else.