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.  

Facing the Fear of Not Having Enough

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.    

8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.        
                                                           2 Corinthians 9:6,8  NIV

    

   One of the biggest obstacles we have to overcome on the path to a more generous life is the fear of not having enough.  It is etched into our subconscious that if we become generous, we will not have enough for ourselves.  We are just like the disciples. Jesus had to correct them because of their anxiety and he warned them that the worries of this world would get in the way of a fruitful life.

   The best way to overcome this fear is to face it head on.  This week, ask God to prompt you with an opportunity to be generous.  It might be a gift to someone in financial need or a gift to a missionary or a sacrificial gift to God’s ministry through your church.   Remember God’s grace to you and his ability to meet all your needs abundantly and let these lead you to discover the joy of the generous life.  We can trust our generous God!