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Christmas is Around the Corner

Hard to believe

It is hard to believe it is already Christmas again.  When I was a kid, it seemed like Christmas took forever to get here.  The year just seemed to drag by.   Do you remember that feeling?  I have noticed something that has happened over the years; time flies fast for everyone, young and old alike.  It is because everybody’s life is so busy with many things.  When those of us that are older were young, we had many downtimes, and we would get bored.  Many do not get bored today.

The trap

This is the trap the devil has wanted us all to be in.   There are so many distractions with all the social media and everything so readily at our fingertips.  Young people today are so busy with so many activities, and when they aren’t doing something constructive, they are pulled into social media, playing video games, or watching movies.  There is no family time like there once was.  Everything is so fast that everyone is tired at the end of the day.
I remember the kinds of things we did when I was growing up.  Sometimes we just sat around the living room and talked. When does that happen anymore?  We read books, played board games, and took walks.  We had time to slow down and reflect.  These days, we don’t reflect anymore; we are just thinking about the next thing we need to get done.

Christmas

And then we add Christmas to the mix of things.  Everyone is in a hurry, trying to get the last-minute shopping done, which in one sense, has gotten easier because a lot of us do it online.  But on the other hand, we don’t rub shoulders with others.  In the past, people have been kinder and more generous this time of year.  You get this natural, cozy feeling.  What little I have been out and about this Christmas season, I have not felt that quite as much.  There are still ones that are kind and in that beautiful Christmas spirit, but so many are in too big of a hurry.  I, unfortunately, might be one of them.
My husband and I went to the mall, and there was no friendliness; it was just rushing people who wouldn’t even look you in the eye.  The only friendly person was a Santa waiting for kids to come and get their pictures done.  There were no kids lined up, so he was waving and saying a friendly greeting to those who passed by.  I find this so sad.  So many unhappy people are just trying to make it through the day.

Forgetting

The big problem is that everyone has forgotten what Christmas is about.  Many have become so self-absorbed that the real reason we celebrate Christmas has been lost.  It has become all about agendas and making money, not love and giving.  We have forgotten the most incredible gift this season should remind us about.  And that has taken away the love and giving spirit.
During this time of the year, we should be reminded of the greatest Gift given, and that is Jesus.  God was willing to give up His only Son to come as a lowly baby.  Jesus, the majesty of heaven, came down to be born in a stable with beasts of the field.  He was laid in a manger of straw.  Jesus was not born in a palace showered with money and fame.  He was born to poor parents; He was visited by shepherds from the field and eventually wise men from the east at a stable and humble home.  Jesus sacrificed everything to come here to this ungrateful world and die so that we may choose to live with Him for eternity.  Now that is a fantastic gift.

Our best gift

The best gift that we can give this season is our hearts.  Let’s give our hearts to the most amazing God, Jesus Christ.  This is the gift that He is longing for.  You may think, “But I already gave my heart to Jesus years ago.”  And that is wonderful; we also need to renew our daily commitment to Him.  It is a moment-by-moment experience.  Here is the most astounding revelation, as we commit our lives to Jesus each day, surrendering totally to Him, the gift goes on.  We start to give to others, not out of obligation or gain but out of love.  This is the most precious gift that keeps on going.  The kind of gift I want to give this year is surrendering my heart to Jesus so that the best Gift of all can keep on giving, love.  How about you?
Dear Father,
Thank You for giving Your only begotten Son as a Gift to each of us.  I want to recommit my heart to You so that I can have the Gift of love that keeps on giving.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Give your heart entirely to Jesus today and receive the Gift that keeps giving.
I love you all!  Have a Merry Christmas!
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“The Best Gift”

Gifts!

Christmas is just a day away!  It is hard to believe it has been another year.  Thinking back over the years what has been the gift that meant the most to you?  I definitely remember mine.  It is amazing how so many Christmases can pass but at least one or two really stick out.

I especially remember the year I was probably around 10.  My brother bought me a gift he was so excited about.  I remember getting the catalogs that had all the Christmas ideas in them.  You that are older all remember them, right?  There were the Sears, JCPenny, Montgomery Wards catalogs and probably some others that I don’t remember.  We would pour over those catalogs dreaming of having the gifts there.  They had all these wonderful things for you to use with your dolls and I loved to dream about them.

Then that wonderful Christmas came.  Even to this day, I don’t remember what else I got, I just remember that one special gift my brother got me and I still have it today.  It was a baby highchair.  It was made out of wood with a cushioned seat and a cushioned back that was removable.  I used that chair so much and got so much joy out of it.  As I recall it was a real sacrifice.  My brother paid $10 for it.  That seems inexpensive to us today but at that time when you paid around $0.65 for a gallon of gas, you had to work really hard to earn $10.  Now that my brother is gone it is even more precious to me.

Giving

Now that I am older what I love most about Christmas is not the gifts I receive as much as giving.  It is so fun to see the expressions of joy on the face of a child when they receive a gift.  Our children loved to get clothes even before they hit their teenage years.  They were responsible to buy their clothes so if they didn’t have to buy clothes it was a great thing.

I have always been a practical buyer.  On the other hand, my husband always bought gifts that were too old for their age or too frivolous to last long.  But for several years now I do most of the Christmas shopping and everyone contributes money.  Then every gift someone gets is from everyone.  As the children get older the gifts get more expensive so this is very helpful, practical, and works well.

Don’t Forget…

We don’t want to get so caught up in all that is happening and forget the best Christmas.  Now we all know that Christ was not born this time of year.  But this is a time to remember.  He was the very best gift that anyone of us has received.  At least it has been offered to us but it is up to us to accept the gift.  And unwrap the gift.  We can unwrap the gift of Christ every day as we open His Word.  And He gives us the most precious gift of the Holy Spirit that can lead and guide into all truth.  Just like I love the joy of seeing others receive a gift, Christ is overjoyed when we receive His gift and unwrap it.

We cannot unwrap the Gift without the Holy Spirit.  The fact is, we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.  We may be able to try or seem like we are doing the right things.  But if we are doing it with our strength and not allowing the Holy Spirit to do it we will be as the 5 foolish virgins.

Unwrapping

Have you ever asked for a gift for Christmas?  There was something you really wanted or needed and you asked in hopes you would get it.  As a kid and you saw the presents under the tree did you ever wonder if it is what you asked for?  And then you decided to carefully open it to see?  I never did that but I have known people that have done it.

When they carefully opened it they were so excited to see they got what they wanted.  But then Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, depending on when you open when they opened their gift the excitement wasn’t the same.  It seemed almost disappointing.

It makes me think about how God gave us the gift of His Son.  And when Jesus left this earth He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  When we unwrap the Word of God with excitement to see what Gift He has for us the excitement doesn’t last.  And it is because we open the Gift before the time.  We think we want a sneak peek and the excitement seems so real but it wears off in time because we unwrap it before the time.

We get in a dig into the Word, unwrapping each text and seeing all the things that God wants us to do.  And we start to implement them into our lives but there seems to be a problem.  We are doing all the “right things” so we just keep plugging along.  But we are angry, unforgiving, critical, finger-pointing, etc.

The Gift within a Gift

Even though we have unwrapped His Word we have forgotten a Gift that will make the unwrapping and the doing not about us but about Him.  We can do nothing without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  God gave His Son as a gift to us but without the Gift that Jesus gave to us, we are nothing.  Jesus said, “Without Me, ye can do nothing” John 15:5 last part.  And “without Me” is the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

We choose but He does the work!  The parable of the wise and foolish virgins is a good example.  They were all church members, following the Lord in everything.  But the wise virgins were allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work through them, nothing of themselves.  Whereas, the foolish were doing it with their own strength.  They were both waiting for the coming of the Lord but when He came the foolish were lacking the indwelling workings of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus lived and walked this earth as you and I, He did nothing of Himself.  It was only through the power of His Father.  If He used His own power for anything He would have had an advantage over us.  We can have the same power because it is the Power of Jesus through His Holy Spirit.  And if our own “power” gets in the way we will be as the foolish virgins.  We need to allow Christ through His Spirit to change us so that we have nothing to boast of ourselves but of Him.

Two gifts

So to me, there are two great gifts to be thankful for this Christmas season.  The first gift is the gift of Jesus Who came from the glories of Heaven to this sinful earth to live a life fully through the power of His Father.  And He died for all the sins of this world so that we have an opportunity for Heaven.

The second gift is the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This gift gives us the ability to be ready for Jesus’ second coming.  We are saved through the precious blood shed by our loving Savior so that we can have forgiveness for our sins.  And through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can live a victorious life.  Although we are saved by Jesus shed blood we are rewarded by our works, which should be the work of the Holy Spirit living through us and nothing of ourselves.  So the reward of Heaven will be given us as we ask the Holy Spirit to live within us and by allowing Him to perform the work that needs to be done in our lives.  We need to ask for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit each day.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the gifts that You have given to us.  I pray for the power of Your Spirit to come and dwell within our hearts.  Come dwell in us not only during this Christmas season but every day for the rest of our lives.  Help us to turn to You during every time of need asking for Your Spirit to perform the work within us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember if Jesus could do nothing of Himself we surely cannot either.  Allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to do the work through you today.

Love you all and I pray you have a blessed Christmas.

Can you share an experience where you felt the power of the Holy Spirit working in your life and you knew it was nothing of yourself but a gift?  I would love to hear your testimony below.