Gifts

Christmas is Gifting, right? God gave us His Son, we give to each other … Billions$ of goods!  When I was 12 I got a ‘field car’ for Christmas. For the non-farmers among us, that was an older car that a kid could drive around the fields and farm roads.  That old Plymouth provided hours of great fun. Yep, it was one of the most memorable gifts in my life. Last year a friend gave me a photo/slide scanner that has given me hours of enjoyment reviewing and digitizing hundreds of old pictures. It is a great gift.  But the best gifts are not those wrapped in bright paper under the tree.  Here are some thoughts on gift giving.  I wrote these thoughts a long time ago and I think they are worth repeating.

There is the CHEAP giver.

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 giver.

With hummingbird-like rapidity, she darts from store to store, grabbing this and that, checking off the names on her list. Obligation, not love, is the primary motivation for giving, so most any gift will do. Just get it and wrap it up.

There is the "PAY MY DEBTS" giver.

This person foolishly believes that with one gift, usually an extravagant one, he can make up for thoughtlessness or offenses piled up during the year. Yes, it is particularly a 'man' thing! Men are much more likely, according to published reports, to overspend to compensate for misdeeds than women. But, the truth is, no single gift can erase a year's worth of inattention or emotional distance. This gifter is in for disappointment!

There is the "I'D SURE LIKE THAT" giver.

He buys things he would like to receive and presents them to others! His gifts are often very nice, but they don't 'fit.' Why? Because, his gifts are not thoughtfully chosen with the recipient in mind. Even his 'giving 'reflects his preoccupation with himself.  I love tech gifts. What do you like?  Are your gifts about you or the receiver?

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!

Be a gift-giver who says - "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU" I give you of myself.

This is 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 kind of giving reflects what the Bible says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35, NLT)

Remember that we give to celebrate a GREAT GIFT, one that God gave to us. "God so loved the world (you could insert your name in place of '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, NIV)

God's Gift to us was -
costly,
prepared from eternity,
based on our greatest need, and
shaped by love!

What a gift!

The word from the Word  says-
"Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself.
A pure gift.
He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be.
And he did it by means of Jesus Christ." (Romans 3:24, The Message)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Angels we have heard on high

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains

Gloria
In excelsis Deo
Gloria
In excelsis Deo

Shepherds why this jubilee
Why your joyous strains prolong
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav'nly song

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ whose birth the angels sing
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord the newborn King

See Him in a manger laid
Whom the choirs of angels praise
Mary Joseph lend your aid
While our hearts in love we raise

Edward Shippen Barnes | James Chadwick

Words: Public Domain