The Gift Goes On! In His Word from 12-05-2005~to 12-1-2025

Why is there always so much worry and trouble about gifts at this time of year? We should be celebrating the Gift of God! We need to pass on the Reason we celebrate the Season this year! So how can we know what gift giving is all about?

Let’s look-

In His Word!

A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.

Proverbs 18:16

"If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it. Genesis 33:10-11

Then Peter said to them,"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38-39

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15-21

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

1 Timothy 4:14-16

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account… the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:17-20

the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35 (niv)

When we give gifts this season I want to think about why we give gifts.

The other day one of my kids asked me about giving gifts.

He said, “If it is better to give than to receive isn’t it bad that we give gifts because we get the better blessing?”

To his way of thinking he was getting the bigger blessing in giving, and so that was cheating the other person out of it, he went on to ask if it was better to just let other people give them to us as our gift! We had a good laugh but then I had a thought about it. I did one of those Selahs!

Often times when we do not have a lot to give to someone in reciprocation for receiving a gift we worry, or fret about it. I want you to think about the fact that the gift can be in the way we receive a gift from someone else.

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:9-11

The Word of God tells us right there, that we are to minister with the gift we receive. So let us minister to one another in not just giving a gift, but in sharing what we do have available. Maybe you know how to sew, and your friend gave you a gift, you can ask her if she has any mending that you can help with. Or if you have some fabric lying around make a throw pillow or potholder something simple to say thank you with.

Maybe you have a knack for writing, and your gift could be a card of thanks, or a story written just for that person, or his child. Maybe your gift is in music; you could tape a CD of songs for your friend. You could sing it yourself and record it on your computer. If you have received this devotion we know you at least have a computer of some sort to read it on.

God gives us abilities to use. If your gifting is in baking, bake things for others, if it is in ministry such as we consider preaching, or teaching, offering to lead a group study on something for someone this year.

Just invite someone over for tea or cocoa as a gift! That would be the gift of friendship or hospitality!

God has given us so many gifts; we don’t use half of them! The most precious of all gifts is the one that we can give at any moment. Not just on Christmas, but we know that it is easy to get people to listen about Jesus on that day because many, that don’t even really know Him, celebrate His birth on that day. Use what you have to encourage, teaching, to share the Gospel of Christ with others as a gift to them this year.

Each year my family and whoever shows up to join us, goes Caroling on Christmas Eve. We do this for a couple of reasons. I started it because I was so blessed by a year that I went Christmas Caroling with my friends the Halls, in Federal Way, Washington. The blessings received that year were smiles from Elderly who could not get out to parties or such, the relishing in singing of Christ’s birth and fellowshipping with one another. We ended that year at a friend’s house by chance. We were invited in where everyone sat around and sang some more while enjoying Oyster soup. I make clam chowder instead of oyster soup, but we carol around the neighborhood, and or in the house depending on how many people are there and their health issues. I know some people have come to expect our carolers on Christmas Eve now in my neighborhood. We don’t always sing on key, but we sing with joyful hearts and hopefully remind a few people why they are celebrating that night!

The point is that we all have been given the most important gift, the Gift of God, in Jesus Christ!

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." John 4:10

Jesus is the gift that we need to give, considering we have received Him ourselves. He is why we celebrate this time of year. It does not matter if the stores say Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays to me, after all they used to sing that in Christmas Movies so it’s a bit of a nostalgic thing. What is important to us all as Christians is to celebrate Jesus so those out there who do not even know Him, can know not just about Him, but that He came to be a Gift for them too! That is what matters most; that we share what we have been given. So whatever the media says, or the stores state on their signs, its you and me and all of us who know the Truth who have the Christmas Spirit… the Holy Spirit! Through Him we can give the gift that keeps on giving! Remember that song a while back “The Gift Goes On” I think Sandy Patti sang it? Look it up on the computer and listen to it today. If it does not touch your heart and cause you to find reason to celebrate nothing will! She sings of the complete reason for Christmas. So that we have an excuse to share Jesus with the world! So let’s go out and do that!

Dear heavenly father… thank you for that Gift you gave me that I received back in 1981, Lord, thank you that Your Gift keeps on giving each day of my life, not just one day a year. Help me to use Christmas as a planting tool to share Your love for us all. In Jesus name, amen

The Gift Goes On! In His Word from 2005 to 12

1 Timothy 4:14-16