[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Saturday, December 21, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all.  For those of us in the northern hemisphere, how is your first day of winter going? Mine is going quite well, by God's matchless grace and His providential care, though I understand, in listening to RTE from Ireland, that the good folks on the Emerald Isle are having quite a time of it with rain, wind, hail and thunder, so much so that Irish ferry service to the Isle of Man and other places have had to be suspended temporarily, but hopefully they will resume tomorrow.

The following article was printed and distributed by the American Tract Society which has been in this business, as I understand it, since the year 1830.  This article has no author's name, but it is entitled "More Than a Token," rendered as follows:

How should a Christian respond to the greatest gift?

When we think of Christmas, we think of gifts.  Christmas has become synonymous with giving.

It's really a good way to look at Christmas.  Giving shows care; it demonstrates unselfishness; it pictures commitment.  I give to you because I love you.  You give to me because you care.  Time, effort, money and energy are expended because of loving concern one for another.

That's why I've become a little skeptical about a line you hear this time of the year--"It's not the gift; it's the thought that counts." Not exactly.  Without the gift, the thought is just that--a thought.  True concern, real love and unreserved commitment always find ways to express themselves, most often through giving.  The gift is a tangible expression of something internal.

THE GREATEST GIVER

Consider the greatest giver--God.  He knows all about giving.  And believe it or not, our names appear on God's Christmas list! The Bible says, "For to _us a Child is born, to _us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6).  God cared so much and loved us so intensely that He sent His Son to our planet.  He freely gave the Person Who was closest to His heart.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

God has gone the limit.  He gave His best for us.  It didn't matter that we were hostile toward Him.  It didn't matter that we refused to listen when He spoke.  It didn't matter that time after time we went off in our own direction, under our own power, to do our own thing.  He still loved and He gave.  "God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

The Bible declares that God's giving doesn't end there; "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).  "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).  By giving us the best that first Christmas, God communicates that He will give whatever else is necessary for a godly life.  He won't hide His will.  He won't limit His power.  He won't renege on His promises.  He won't give up on us and throw in the towel.  He won't leave us on our own.  He won't ask us to do something and then not help us to do it.  He gave and continues to give and to give and to give.  And when He gives, He gives the best.

THE VERY BEST

Several years ago the Hallmark card company initiated an ad campaign using one of the most powerful slogans ever written:  "When you care enough to send the very best." That summarizes perfectly what Christmas is all about.  God cared, more than enough, and He sent the Best, the Very Best.  We who believe have been recipients of that giving.

So now we must ask ourselves if we care enough to give Him the very best? Will we give to Him our dreams and aspirations? Will we place at His disposal our time and energy? Will we expose our plans and decisions to His sovereign rule? The present which pleases Him most is the totality of ourselves, the completeness of our lives.  Giving like that is what this season is really all about.

"Christ's love compels us ... that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

And there you have it for today.  Perhaps you who are reading this for the first time haven't thought about Christmas in this way, but nevertheless I hope it was a blessing for you, as well as those who read it for the second time.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another Daily Thought message for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul