“Gifts Galore” (The Christmas Meditation Series)

She tore the wrapping paper off of the box in a scurry only to discover a smaller box inside.  She yanked it out and ripped through the paper.

dscn1654

Inside was yet another box, the smallest of the three.  Was It was worth the effort?

dscn1655

She ripped some more and screamed and jumped up and down in her pajamas. “JOSH GROBAN TICKETS!!”  She yelled, “YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING!!”

groban

Who does not love surprises? Who does not love watching someone get surprised like my wife on that early Christmas morning.  It may not happen often, but it does feel good to be the recipient of a surprise every now and again.  A little something to look forward to. A pick-me-up. 

The rub is not to be dependent on that surprise or gift to get us through.  Oh how easy it is to take our eyes off of the Giver of all good gifts. James said, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” (1:17 a NLT)

We may have eyes to see but are we blind to the gifts God “presents” to us?  Like the gift of a new day. “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:24 NLT)  This is a great verse to roost in your brain. When you wake up in the morning, you can pull it down and claim it before you put your feet on the ground to face today.

I love gift giving and putting thought and creativity into it.  One reason behind why is I have been on the receiving end of thoughtless gifts.  I can tell when someone has re-gifted. It’s obvious it fell from someone’s closet and made its way to my hands.  Then, there are the gifts from the last minute tightwads of the world. They wanted to quickly get it over with, as they broadcast with a slant “Well, I did bring a gift!”

How does God feel when His children do a short-sighted job of giving Him gifts wrapped with sloppy motives?  From his book, Genesis…Moses tells a short story of two men. One was a farmer. One was a shepherd. One knew the lay of the land and one knew sheep. “When it was time for harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift-the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but He did not accept Cain and his gift.”

Reading between the lines, the story goes on to reveal that the problem with Cain’s token offering was the attitude that lay behind it.  (4:3-4 NLT)

The point is not to spend a lot of loot but to “give a hoot”.  It’s the heart. Since God has given us way more that we could ever list…what can you give back to Him that is representative of your time, talents and treasure?

dscn1660

dscn1661

pictures courtesy of “Nelson & his Nikon”

 

One thought on ““Gifts Galore” (The Christmas Meditation Series)

  1. Talk about ‘Raw and Real’ ! This is a deeper subject than the majority of people want to give much thought to. You stated it right … that ‘attitude’ we have shows where our hearts really are. Sacrifice? Nothing we will ever do could compare to the life that Christ had to live on earth and the death He suffered in order to save us from an eternity in hell.. Thank you Nelson for this devotional… I enjoy the photos also.

Comments are closed.

About nelsonhaynes500words

My name is William-Nelson-Haynes. I mentioned my full name because I want to share more than just two-thirds of me. Since life is a journey, it is my hope that this blog keeps you from feeling alone. Please check out my background, education and experience in "The Writer" part of the Menu on the top left-hand corner of the home page. Other Menu items you can scroll through are the Authors who influenced me, Magazine Articles I write for Good News Magazine, the Top 15 books that affected me spiritually, and the other hobbies that also make me come alive.