What Gifts Will You Bring Him?

 

 

During the Christmas season and always, have you considered what gifts you will give your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? What can we possibly give Him that could even come close to showing our appreciation for the greatest Gift ever given – God’s Son given that all who trust Him may have eternal life? (John 3:16). 

His story proves that you can’t judge a gift from its wrappings. God the Father’s greatest gift to the world, His only begotten Son, destined to become the perfect sacrifice for all sins, and to return again to rule the universe in glory, was presented in a very humble way. He came as a helpless baby, born into a humble family, delivered in a lowly stable (Luke 2:7).

Just as the Wise Men of Christ’s day sought Him out and aimed to give Him their very best gifts (Matthew 2: 1-12), so do wise men and women of today seek Him and consecrate to Him their lives and the very best gifts they can offer.

You don't have to shop for these gifts, because He is the source of all good things (James 1:17). You won't have to go into debt over them, because you can't outgive God, and the more you give Him, the more blessings will flow back to you (Luke 6:38). They're always exactly what He would want and a perfect fit, as long as you're following His perfect will for your life. And you don't have to worry that they'll be returned -- you can be sure they will, as He gives back to you many times over all that you entrust to Him (1 Kings 17:10-16; John 6:5-13).

God judges our gifts to Him not on their greatness, because there is nothing that He needs from us. Anything we have is pitiful compared with His infinite wealth (Psalm 50: 7-12), and all that we have came from Him in the first place (James 1:17). Instead, He judges our motives, our willingness to trust all to Him, and the sacrificial nature of our gift (Luke 12:48; Luke 21:1-4).

 If He has blessed us with talents, material wealth, or other resources, He requires us to be a channel through whom blessings flow, because to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48. But even if others do not consider us blessed in worldly terms, we can please God with our giving. When Jesus saw the poor widow throwing two mites into the treasury (Luke 21:1-4), He praised her more than all the others because she gave all that she had.

The absolute amount or greatness of the gift we give Him is not important, but what matters is how much of what we have we give back to Him. He is pleased with sacrificial giving because it shows our trust in Him, our faith that He will give back to us in abundance.

A sinful woman broke open a costly alabaster box containing precious ointment – possibly her inheritance or dowry -- that she used to anoint His Head. Jesus promised that this lavish gift would always be remembered in Scripture (Mark 14:3-9)

Elijah, prophet of God, followed God’s direction and asked a widow to give him her last morsel of food. When she did so in faith, God provided for her daily (1 Kings 17). God always honors His promises to those who trust Him in faith.

A similar story of God taking a seemingly small gift, multiplying and magnifying it to do great good, then giving back in abundance, is the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes (John 6:5), in which Jesus feeds a crowd of thousands with only a little boy’s lunch that he willingly gave. The disciples use the reasoning of men, not trusting in God’s supernatural ability to provide.

But God wants us to demonstrate our faith – it is never a question of whether He is able, but of whether we have faith.  No one goes away hungry, and there are 12 baskets full of bread left over, which must have gone to the little boy to feed his family and no doubt his whole village.

In this season of gifts, may we always remember and thank the greatest Giver and Gift of all time. The best gift you could possibly give to anyone on your gift list is to share the Gospel with them! You can give it freely to everyone without taxing your budget; one size fits all; and they’ll never need to return or exchange it. Christ – the perfect Gift -- is truly All that anyone needs!

May we give Him what He has given us – our body, mind and spirit -- as a living sacrifice to His glory! 

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

What Gifts Will You Give Him?

Photo by James Petts 2013

 

During the Christmas season and always, have you considered what gifts you will give your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? What can we possibly give Him that could even come close to showing our appreciation for the greatest Gift ever given – God’s Son given that all who trust Him may have eternal life? (John 3:16). 

His story proves that you can’t judge a gift from its wrappings. God the Father’s greatest gift to the world, His only begotten Son, destined to become the perfect sacrifice for all sins, and to return again to rule the universe in glory, was presented in a very humble way. He came as a helpless baby, born into a humble family, delivered in a lowly stable (Luke 2:7).

Just as the Wise Men of Christ’s day sought Him out and aimed to give Him their very best gifts (Matthew 2: 1-12), so do wise men and women of today seek Him and consecrate to Him their lives and the very best gifts they can offer.

You don't have to shop for these gifts, because He is the source of all good things (James 1:17). You won't have to go into debt over them, because you can't outgive God, and the more you give Him, the more blessings will flow back to you (Luke 6:38). They're always exactly what He would want and a perfect fit, as long as you're following His perfect will for your life. And you don't have to worry that they'll be returned -- you can be sure they will, as He gives back to you many times over all that you entrust to Him (1 Kings 17:10-16; John 6:5-13).

God judges our gifts to Him not on their greatness, because there is nothing that He needs from us. Anything we have is pitiful compared with His infinite wealth (Psalm 50: 7-12), and all that we have came from Him in the first place (James 1:17). Instead, He judges our motives, our willingness to trust all to Him, and the sacrificial nature of our gift (Luke 12:48; Luke 21:1-4). 

If He has blessed us with talents, material wealth, or other resources, He requires us to be a channel through whom blessings flow, because to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). But even if others do not consider us blessed in worldly terms, we can please God with our giving. When Jesus saw the poor widow throwing two mites into the treasury (Luke 21:1-4), He praised her more than all the others because she gave all that she had.

The absolute amount or greatness of the gift we give Him is not important, but what matters is how much of what we have we give back to Him. He is pleased with sacrificial giving because it shows our trust in Him, our faith that He will give back to us in abundance.

A sinful woman broke open a costly alabaster box containing precious ointment – possibly her inheritance or dowry -- that she used to anoint His Head. Jesus promised that this lavish gift would always be remembered in Scripture (Mark 14:3-9)

Elijah, prophet of God, followed God’s direction and asked a widow to give him her last morsel of food. When she did so in faith, God provided for her daily (1 Kings 17). God always honors His promises to those who trust Him in faith.

A similar story of God taking a seemingly small gift, multiplying and magnifying it to do great good, then giving back in abundance, is the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes (John 6:5), in which Jesus feeds a crowd of thousands with only a little boy’s lunch that he willingly gave. The disciples use the reasoning of men, not trusting in God’s supernatural ability to provide. 

But God wants us to demonstrate our faith – it is never a question of whether He is able, but of whether we have faith.  No one goes away hungry, and there are 12 baskets full of bread left over, which must have gone to the little boy to feed his family and no doubt the apostles and even his whole village.

In this season of gifts, may we always remember and thank the greatest Giver and Gift of all time. The best gift you could possibly give to anyone on your gift list is to share the Gospel with them! You can give it freely to everyone without taxing your budget; one size fits all; and they’ll never need to return or exchange it. Christ – the perfect Gift -- is truly All that anyone needs!

 

The apostle Paul thanked the Philippian church for their generous gift to his ministry, even providing for him when he was visiting another church that should have been more hospitable! He assured them that their sacrificial gift would be like a sweet aroma to God and please Him greatly, and that God would supply all their needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:14-19).  

Note that Paul said God would supply all their needs, not all their wants. Sometimes we get angry or disappointed with God when He gives us what we need, rather than what we think we want. But His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9) and He acts from the vantage point of perfect, infinite wisdom (Psalm 139:1-6), power, and love (1 John 4:8). He knows what we need even before we ask Him! (Matthew 6:8)

 

Note also that God will supply all our needs "according to," not "out of," His riches in Christ Jesus. It's as if you needed money to pay for the medical treatment of your sick child, and you happened to run into Bill Gates, who turned a sympathetic ear to your plight. You are hopeful that he might give you the money to pay the hospital bill "out of" his great wealth.

 

But what if instead he said, "Don't worry about the bill, because I am going to adopt both you and your child into my family. Then you'll have access to all my bank accounts and credit cards, you'll live in my mansion, you'll inherit my estate, and you'll dine at my family table." That would be supplying our need "according to" his riches, for we would be able to enjoy all of it.

 

Yet once we are saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven, our position in God's family is like, only on an infinitely greater scale. We become God's children and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, inheriting eternal, abundant life here on earth, and one day in glorified bodies in a mansion He has prepared us (John 14:2), living forever (John 3:16) in glorified bodies that will never age, feel pain or sorrow, get sick, sin, or die. We will enjoy His presence and that of our loved ones in Him throughout eternity! 

 
May we give God what He has given us – our body, mind and spirit -- as a living sacrifice to His glory! 

© 2012 Laurie Collett (expanded and reposted from the archives)

What Gifts Will You Give Him?

Photo by Sigismund von Dobschütz 2007

During the Christmas season and always, have you considered what gifts you will give your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? What can we possibly give Him that could even come close to showing our appreciation for the greatest Gift ever given – God’s Son given that all who trust Him may have eternal life? (John 3:16). 

His story proves that you can’t judge a gift from its wrappings. God the Father’s greatest gift to the world, His only begotten Son, destined to become the perfect sacrifice for all sins, and to return again to rule the universe in glory, was presented in a very humble way. He came as a helpless baby, born into a humble family, delivered in a lowly stable (Luke 2:7).

Just as the Wise Men of Christ’s day sought Him out and aimed to give Him their very best gifts (Matthew 2: 1-12), so do wise men and women of today seek Him and consecrate to Him their lives and the very best gifts they can offer.

You don't have to shop for these gifts, because He is the source of all good things (James 1:17). You won't have to go into debt over them, because you can't outgive God, and the more you give Him, the more blessings will flow back to you (Luke 6:38). They're always exactly what He would want and a perfect fit, as long as you're following His perfect will for your life. And you don't have to worry that they'll be returned -- you can be sure they will, as He gives back to you many times over all that you entrust to Him (1 Kings 17:10-16; John 6:5-13).

God judges our gifts to Him not on their greatness, because there is nothing that He needs from us. Anything we have is pitiful compared with His infinite wealth (Psalm 50: 7-12), and all that we have came from Him in the first place (James 1:17). Instead, He judges our motives, our willingness to trust all to Him, and the sacrificial nature of our gift (Luke 12:48; Luke 21:1-4). 

If He has blessed us with talents, material wealth, or other resources, He requires us to be a channel through whom blessings flow, because to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). But even if others do not consider us blessed in worldly terms, we can please God with our giving. When Jesus saw the poor widow throwing two mites into the treasury (Luke 21:1-4), He praised her more than all the others because she gave all that she had.

The absolute amount or greatness of the gift we give Him is not important, but what matters is how much of what we have we give back to Him. He is pleased with sacrificial giving because it shows our trust in Him, our faith that He will give back to us in abundance.

A sinful woman broke open a costly alabaster box containing precious ointment – possibly her inheritance or dowry -- that she used to anoint His Head. Jesus promised that this lavish gift would always be remembered in Scripture (Mark 14:3-9)

Elijah, prophet of God, followed God’s direction and asked a widow to give him her last morsel of food. When she did so in faith, God provided for her daily (1 Kings 17). God always honors His promises to those who trust Him in faith.

A similar story of God taking a seemingly small gift, multiplying and magnifying it to do great good, then giving back in abundance, is the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes (John 6:5), in which Jesus feeds a crowd of thousands with only a little boy’s lunch that he willingly gave. The disciples use the reasoning of men, not trusting in God’s supernatural ability to provide. 

But God wants us to demonstrate our faith – it is never a question of whether He is able, but of whether we have faith.  No one goes away hungry, and there are 12 baskets full of bread left over, which must have gone to the little boy to feed his family and no doubt his whole village.

In this season of gifts, may we always remember and thank the greatest Giver and Gift of all time. The best gift you could possibly give to anyone on your gift list is to share the Gospel with them! You can give it freely to everyone without taxing your budget; one size fits all; and they’ll never need to return or exchange it. Christ – the perfect Gift -- is truly All that anyone needs!

May we give Him what He has given us – our body, mind and spirit -- as a living sacrifice to His glory! 

© 2012 Laurie Collett (reposted from the archives)

What Gifts Will You Give Him?

Photo by Kelvin Kay 2003

During the Christmas season and always, have you considered what gifts you will give your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? What can we possibly give Him that could even come close to showing our appreciation for the greatest Gift ever given – God’s Son given that all who trust Him may have eternal life? (John 3:16). 

His story proves that you can’t judge a gift from its wrappings. God the Father’s greatest gift to the world, His only begotten Son, destined to become the perfect sacrifice for all sins, and to return again to rule the universe in glory, was presented in a very humble way. He came as a helpless baby, born into a humble family, delivered in a lowly stable (Luke 2:7).

Just as the Wise Men of Christ’s day sought Him out and aimed to give Him their very best gifts (Matthew 2: 1-12), so do wise men and women of today seek Him and consecrate to Him their lives and the very best gifts they can offer.

You don't have to shop for these gifts, because He is the source of all good things (James 1:17). You won't have to go into debt over them, because you can't outgive God, and the more you give Him, the more blessings will flow back to you (Luke 6:38). They're always exactly what He would want and a perfect fit, as long as you're following His perfect will for your life. And you don't have to worry that they'll be returned -- you can be sure they will, as He gives back to you many times over all that you entrust to Him (1 Kings 17:10-16; John 6:5-13).

God judges our gifts to Him not on their greatness, because there is nothing that He needs from us. Anything we have is pitiful compared with His infinite wealth (Psalm 50: 7-12), and all that we have came from Him in the first place (James 1:17). Instead, He judges our motives, our willingness to trust all to Him, and the sacrificial nature of our gift (Luke 12:48; Luke 21:1-4). 

If He has blessed us with talents, material wealth, or other resources, He requires us to be a channel through whom blessings flow, because to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). But even if others do not consider us blessed in worldly terms, we can please God with our giving. When Jesus saw the poor widow throwing two mites into the treasury (Luke 21:1-4), He praised her more than all the others because she gave all that she had.

The absolute amount or greatness of the gift we give Him is not important, but what matters is how much of what we have we give back to Him. He is pleased with sacrificial giving because it shows our trust in Him, our faith that He will give back to us in abundance.

A sinful woman broke open a costly alabaster box containing precious ointment – possibly her inheritance or dowry -- that she used to anoint His Head. Jesus promised that this lavish gift would always be remembered in Scripture (Mark 14:3-9)

Elijah, prophet of God, followed God’s direction and asked a widow to give him her last morsel of food. When she did so in faith, God provided for her daily (1 Kings 17). God always honors His promises to those who trust Him in faith.

A similar story of God taking a seemingly small gift, multiplying and magnifying it to do great good, then giving back in abundance, is the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes (John 6:5), in which Jesus feeds a crowd of thousands with only a little boy’s lunch that he willingly gave. The disciples use the reasoning of men, not trusting in God’s supernatural ability to provide. 

But God wants us to demonstrate our faith – it is never a question of whether He is able, but of whether we have faith.  No one goes away hungry, and there are 12 baskets full of bread left over, which must have gone to the little boy to feed his family and no doubt his whole village.

In this season of gifts, may we always remember and thank the greatest Giver and Gift of all time. The best gift you could possibly give to anyone on your gift list is to share the Gospel with them! You can give it freely to everyone without taxing your budget; one size fits all; and they’ll never need to return or exchange it. Christ – the perfect Gift -- is truly All that anyone needs!

May we give Him what He has given us – our body, mind and spirit -- as a living sacrifice to His glory! 

© 2012 Laurie Collett (reposted from the archives)

Water and Oil: What’s for Breakfast?

Nutritionists say that breakfast is the most important meal. If we eat a wholesome breakfast before we start our day, it kicks our metabolism into high gear, fueling our bodies and our minds for the challenges we will face. 

But if we run out the door on an empty stomach or grab a jelly donut as we go, we are sure to run out of gas before we accomplish anything worthwhile.

Our spiritual food is even more crucial to our wellbeing than what we eat. Yet too often we starve our soul by not starting each day with a healthy serving of our daily bread – God’s Word (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3).

As we have seen in recent posts, water and oil in Scripture symbolize The Living Waters (Jeremiah 2:13) and the Holy Spirit, our true source of spiritual as well as physical nourishment. Water and oil, along with other nutrients, combine in milk, bread and meat – basic food groups that sustain us.

The blend of water and oil (butterfat) in breast milk, along with protein and other nutrients, make it the perfect food for the newborn infant.  For those who are born again (John 3:5-8), the “sincere milk” of God’s Word is the best food to nurture their soul as they taste God’s grace (1 Peter 2:2-3). Babes in Christ first need to ingest basic Gospel truths – that Jesus, Son of God, died to pay our sin debt, was buried, and rose again, so that all who trust Him have eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:1-4;. John 3:16).

As the infant matures into a child and then an adult, milk continues to be a dietary staple. Each day in the mature believer’s life should begin with a refreshing, nourishing drink of Gospel milk. As His Word reminds us of His mercy, love, and grace, we can taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).

God in His provision blessed us with other foods to be introduced into the diet of the growing child. Bread is also made with water and oil, which bind together the wheat or other grain providing protein. The amino acids, or building blocks of protein, in bread complement those in milk, so that a diet of bread and milk contains all the protein needed for good health.  Milk and shredded wheat, oatmeal or other whole grain cereal, unadulterated with added sugars, make a complete breakfast.

God fed His people with manna – heavenly bread – that He provided fresh each day as they wandered through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land (Exodus 16:4-35). In the spiritual desert of this world, believers continue to need the daily bread of God’s Word. Like the manna, we cannot gorge ourselves with it on Sunday and hoard the leftovers for the rest of the week – we must assimilate it daily.

Not only does His daily bread feed our own soul, but we need to digest it fully so that we can share it with others, witnessing as we cast our bread upon the waters (Ecclesiastes 11:1). We should never underestimate the power of God’s Word to impact others, for He can take even the smallest amount of daily bread that we are willing to give back to Him and multiply it beyond measure, as He did with the miracle of the loaves and fishes! (John 6 :5-14)

Jesus Himself is the Bread of Life, and we should start each day by turning to Him in prayer and reflection on His Word (John 6 :33-51). As we break bread at our first meal of the day, may we remember the Lord’s death until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:24-26). Our Savior allowed His body to be broken for us, to take the punishment required for all our sins, to appease the wrath of perfectly holy and just God and to reconcile repentant sinners to Him (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2 ; 4:10).

Seasoned believers in Christ should not be content with milk alone, but to hunger for the “strong meat” of the Word (Hebrews 5:12-14). In terms of edible food, “meat” in Bible days could include a variety of solid foods: not only beef or lamb, but also fish (e.g. Luke 24:42). These foods are derived from animal muscle, which is mostly water with a rich store of protein and essential fats, or oils, such as omega-3-fatty acids in ocean fish. These dietary oils are vital for heart, joint and brain health. As some of us may remember, cod liver oil tastes terrible but builds strong bodies!

“Strong meat” of the Word may contain “hard sayings” (John 6:60) that are hard to swallow. Specifically, the Living Bread (John 6:51). told His disciples that if they ate His flesh and drank His blood, they would live forever (John 6:50-58). Clearly He was not referring to cannibalism, but to the need of each believer to consume His truths, Word, and lifestyle so completely that they became part of their very being. Only then would He dwell in them and they in Him (John 6:56).

When we have sinned, eating God’s Word is as necessary as strong medicine when we are sick, but it is not always pleasant. John found that eating the “little book” prophesying God’s judgment to be sweet on the lips, but bitter in his belly (Revelation 10:9-10). If we are to grow in His grace and become more conformed to His image, we must examine ourselves even in light of the hard sayings, and incorporate their truths in our very being.

As we grow in our Christian walk, we should not be content with only spiritual milk of basic Bible truths in the Gospels, but we should sink our teeth into the meatier passages in the Epistles, or letters, from Paul and other apostles, and even the prophetic passages in Revelation.

We are what we eat, and our first meal of the day prepares us to function at full capacity. A healthy breakfast fuels our body, and a satisfying helping of God’s Word energizes our spirit, to run the race He has set before us (1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1) and to fight the good fight as soldiers in His army (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7). No athlete should set out to run a marathon without nourishing his body properly, and no child of God should leap into the daily spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-18) without renewing their mind (Romans 12:2) in prayer and in His Word. 

© 2013 Laurie Collett