Christmas Gifts
When Christmas comes to mind, the first thing that typically pops into our heads is gifts: 'What will I get, will my kids be excited, will I find the right thing, when will I go shopping, how much will I spend, how will I pay for it, have I spent too much money, when will it end!' Yes, pretty quickly, after the initial excitement subsides, Christmas can easily become a race to the finish line There's a different way though, you know. Yes, the above questions need to be answered, but, as a believer, Christmas needs to be first and foremost about the sinner's redemption, not about gift receipts, recitals, recipes and reindeers.
But how do we do this; how do we shift our focus from gifts to gratitude? It's simple: We turn our gifts into acts of worship. Here's a few ideas:
- Worship him by engaging in some self-examination. This will prepare room in your heart for his Christmas delights.
- Worship him by building God-centered anticipation in your home. How will your little ones (and big ones like mine!) 'hunger and thirst for righteousness' if Christmas is only about material things?
- Worship him by enjoying his Word. Jeremiah said "The Word of the Lord came to me and I ate it up. It is my joy and my heart's delight for I bear the name of the Lord God Almighty" (15:16, my paraphrase).
- Worship him via service. Besides Angel Tree (a wonderful Christmas cause), what other acts of service can you engage in that will demonstrate to your family and others that Jesus' sacrifice for you really does make a difference in how you live?
- Worship him by adorning more than your tree. Titus 2 says, among other things, "be well-pleasing [and] not argumentative, diligent, self-controlled and sober-minded so that in everything [you] may adorn the doctrine of God" (in other words, make beautiful how beautiful its influence on you is!).
Bring him your gifts this Christmas. It will "set your heart on things above, not on things below" (Colossians 3:2, emphasis mine).