Christmas shopping?

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? If you're like a majority of Americans, even here just a week before the Day, you still have people on your gift list without a matching present! We approach our Christmas shopping from a variety of angles.

There is the CHEAP shopper. He is driven by one goal - buying something, anything, that satisfies the imperative for gift giving - while spending as little money or energy as possible. My one question to this person is - "why bother?" You have missed the meaning of Christmas entirely. Save yourself the effort because the person who receives your 'gift' will only be obligated to write an insincere 'thank you' note!

There is HURRIED shopper. With hummingbird-like rapidity, they dart from store to store, grabbing this and that and checking off the names on their list. Obligation, not love, is the primary drive behind their search.

There is the "PAY MY DEBTS" shopper. This person hopes that with one gift, usually that cost way too much, they can make up for their failures through the year. No gift can do this, and this shopper is sadly set up for disappointment all ready!

There is the "I'D SURE LIKE THAT" shopper who buys gifts he would like to receive for others! His gifts are often very nice, but don't 'fit.' Why? Because, at the heart, he's selfish. His gifts are not thoughtfully chosen because he is too in love with himself to be aware of what really going on outside of his skin.

And there is the "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU" shopper. Finally, we find the heart of Christmas! This person thinks carefully about the tastes, the needs, the personality of the person for whom he is getting a gift and, after a careful search, prepares a gift that he presents with no strings attached.

This is how God gave to us.
God so loved ____________________ (insert your name here)that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

His Gift was ....

• rich,
• prepared from eternity,
• given to settle my debts,
• based on my need, and
• shaped by His love for me!

In your gift-giving, make LOVE the reason.
Having trouble finding a gift for someone on your list?
Relax and think about who they are, what they need, and how you can express love in a language they'll understand. It will come to you!
Perhaps the gift will not be some thing. The best gifts are, like God's gift to us, a gift of ourselves.
____________________

Don't forget to offer your best gift to the One who is the Reason for the Season.Find time to worship, to serve, to give of yourself in His Name.