Somewhere over the next 12 hours, give or take, we will be gathered together by our respective Christmas trees with our families and loved ones, exchanging gifts, opening our gifts with excited anticipation, and enjoying the reactions of those we have given gifts to.
Tonight, I'd like to share some passages from the Bible pertaining to some very precious gifts.
Our Lives
- "Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord." - Proverbs 20:12
Spouses
- "The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the LORD." - Proverbs 18:22
Children
- "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD..." - Psalm 127:3
Friends (relationships in general)
- "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Reflection Point
- How often do we take these gifts for granted? Tonight, tomorrow, when you are with your family, take a moment to really reflect upon how they have enriched our lives.
- All of these good 'gifts' in our life have one source -- "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..." - James 1:17
God's Gifts
- “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." - Matthew 7:9-11 (also "Holy Spirit" - Luke 11:11-13)
- "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." - John 14:27
- “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me." - John 17:6-8
- Gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts
- Spiritual Gifts - Romans, 1 Corinthians, elsewhere - "God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another." - 1 Peter 4:10
- "When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners." - Romans 4:4-5
- "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23
- "But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:15-17
- "For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn." - Romans 11:29
Just as we have received these gifts, so we are to administer them to others.
- "And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him." - 2 Corinthians 5:18
- “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” - Luke 6:37-38
- "Give as freely as you have received!" - Matthew 10:8b
What, then, can we possibly give back to God?
- "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." - Romans 12:1-2
Jesus - Light of the World
- "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." - John 1:1-5
- "Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”" - John 8:12
- "If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark." - John 12:44-46
- "For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:6
- "This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John 1:5-7
- “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." - Matthew 5:14-16
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