The Perfect Fit

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11


What do you want for Christmas? Have you made a list for your parents and your friends? Do you want a laundry list of things or is there one special thing you want more than anything else? Have you thought about what you are going to buy for the people you love this year?

Gifts are a wonderful thing. Nearly everyone loves to receive gifts. What someone gives you can often have sentimental value or show the depth of their feelings for you. I love to think of unique gifts for my friends and family and I am often disappointed with myself when I settle for the “easy” gift, but sometimes finding a gift which is a perfect fit for a friend can be a challenge.

When the Wise Men, or three Kings or the Magi, came to visit Jesus, they brought Him three distinct gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. These three gifts were well thought out and planned for the King they were coming to visit. Gold was a precious metal recognized for value across every culture and represented Jesus’ royal position. Frankincense was burned in ancient times and it was thought to carry prayers to heaven. This was a gift to represent Jesus as the High Priest. Myrrh was a spice used to anoint bodies for healing, but ultimately for burial preparation. Some believe this gift was given because Jesus was born to die for our sins – the ultimate healing. These gifts were planned and invaluable to both the giver and the receiver.

When God sent Jesus to earth, He thought about each and every one of us. He planned out His gift of salvation and love so that each of us would receive exactly what we needed.

You were in God’s mind and heart when He planned and prepared the gift of Jesus. God created the gift of salvation through Jesus which is a perfect fit for each of us.

Scripture

Matthew 2:1-12

Quote of the Day

“For it is in giving that we receive.”

St. Francis of Assisi

Question of the Day

What is the best present you ever gave to someone else?

Don't forget the JR.Choir Christmas Program - This Sunday 12/11

Caring for Your Gifts...

Do you know someone who seems to get everything he wants? How does he treat what he receives? Does he treat his possesions with care, ensuring they do not become lost or broken? Or is he careless with his possesions, assuming he will always get new stuff if the old breaks?

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Luke 16:10

What you have is so much more than what you possess; and everything you have is from God. God has blessed you with a great deal; He trusts you with these gifts - gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, kindess, goodness, generousity and hope. From these gifts, all other blessings will flow. How you treat these gifts will determine how you will view and receive gifts in the future.

God wants to give you an abundance, but He will never give you more than you can handle. If you are careless and carefree with your gifts, He will not give you more because you are unable to handle the abundance. But if you treat your gifts with grace and care, God will continue to bless you beyond measure. He will not overwhelm you if you are unable to handle the gifts, but He has a stockpile waiting just for you when you are ready.

Nuture your gifts and allow them to grow. You will be amazed by the windfall of blessings God will shower upon you in response.

Scripture

Luke 16:1-14

Quote of the Day

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.”

John F. Kennedy

Question of the Day

How are you nurturing your gifts from God?

 

Giving back to God

 

God tells us, "who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48) With this one statement, God shows us that we are required to give back in the manner to which we have been given - and we have been blessed.

We live in one of the most prosperous, free nations in the history of the world. We have opportunities to try nearly anything and everything. And most importantly, we have the pure love of a Savior who sacrificed everything so that we might be able to be in a relationship with Him. We have been given much. So...how do we give back to God?

At times it seems impossible to think about how we can respond the love God has given us. His love is bigger than anything we can understand and fuller than any dream we could ever translate. How can we possibly give back that kind of love?

God understands the finite nature of our minds. He recognizes that we will be overwhelmed with responding to His love so He gave us clear instruction through the prophet Micah.

And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

(Micah 6:8)

God wants us to respond to His gift of grace by acting justly to those around us. We need to be fair, honest and trustworthy. When we see someone being ill treated, we are called by God to intercede and fight for their just treatment. We are called by God to treat everyone as He has treated us.

God also wants us to love mercy. He wants us to show kindness and goodness to everyone we meet. God wants His love for each of us to shine through our persons so that He is fully known be even those who feel they have been forgotten.

And God wants us to be humble...and to walk with Him. Every action - whether it be through justice, mercy or sharing God's love - is done through God's power, not our own. As we walk humbly with our LORD, we are reminded that we have the great gift of being God's hands and feet in this world. We do not do anything without His grace.

Giving back to God may seem overwhelming, but it is encouraging to know that He has already given us everything we could ever need.

Scripture

Luke: 12:47-49

Micah 6:8

Quote of the Day

“It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.”

— Richard Braunstein

Question of the Day

How is God calling you to respond to His love?