We are rapidly approaching Christmas Day, but we have been in the season of giving for weeks. It usually starts around the middle of November, a week or so before Thanksgiving. People begin to think about what they can do for others. People begin to get a bit nostalgic remembering all the big meals they have had, and what they will have, and decide it is a good idea to take a food basket to someone. This is a wonderful thing for those who have no extra money for items that are out of the ordinary weekly budget. There are also opportunities to pick a child’s name from an angel tree and buy a gift they desire. I’ve participated in these types of projects many times myself. I can’t imagine a child not having any presents on Christmas morning. Most of us shop for weeks for loved ones. We put careful thought into the gift we are going to buy. In 1996, the movie Jingle All the Way shows a father who is determined to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. However, every store is sold out, and he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else in order to find one. It is hilarious to the extent he goes for his child to have this one toy. I’m sure this brings certain memories to those who have children. It is a wonderful thing to give a gift that seems to be the perfect gift for those we love.
While millions of people will be giving gifts all over the world, there is no one who is seeking to give like God gave. He gave His only Son to die for our sins. He offers to each of us the only gift that matters. It’s the gift of eternal life. There is no gift to compare to His gift. Our gifts soon wear out. Parts stop working and need to be replaced. Kids get tired of them, throw them to the side, and they are soon replaced by the latest newly advertised thing. God’s eternal gift has a warranty that is forever and there is nothing new that can replace it or compare to it. Our gifts are based on what we can afford. Most of us have a price limit that we need to stick to, and in our world, the saying is that “everything has a price.” With God’s gift, there is no dollar amount you can ascribe to it. It cannot be bought, and it cannot be sold. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us it we cannot work for it. It is a gift that is more valuable than we can comprehend.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
While we cannot give the most valuable gift, God has made it possible for us to be a part of the giving. In Acts 1, Jesus was speaking to His disciples. This would be the last time he would physically be with them. He told them in Acts 1:4-5, to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come to them from the Father. He then gave them the command that if for all Christians. He gave them his last command before He made his exit for Heaven, where He would sit at the right hand of His Father. This command is to make known the gift of eternal life. While we cannot give the gift, but we can be the messenger. We are not only allowed to share how this gift can be received but we are also commanded to make it known to everyone everywhere.
Act 1:4-5 “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
Act 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
During this season of giving what gifts are you giving? I love to give gifts that I know people will enjoy. It warms the heart when we see people receive something they needed or wanted badly. Yet, the greatest joy and satisfaction I have ever received, other than my own salvation, is the feeling I get from leading someone to Christ. The joy received by the knowledge that someone’s eternal soul passed from death unto life, eternal life, is unsurpassed only by it happening over and over to others. Sometimes I was not the one to pray with them to receive Christ, yet I still experienced this joy and satisfaction because I had prayed for them, talked to them about the Lord, and loved on them the way Christ commanded.
Will you obey Christ this season by sharing the greatest gift ever given? Think about those you will come in contact with, the ones God places in your path that you may not know at all. Will you get out of your selfish comfort zone and speak to them about their spiritual condition?
The command Jesus gave in Acts 1:8 was to all who have placed their faith in Him and are followers of Him. Just like every other command He has given; we will one day stand before God and give an account of our obedience or disobedience to that command. Think about it!
