[b]The Secret of Christmas Gifts[i]by Bill Gothard
I am praying that God will give you a most joyful Christmas in knowing
that He rules in the affairs of men and that He is preparing us for our
most incredible year!
If you are like me, one of the most difficult things about Christmas is
knowing what gifts to get for loved ones. This morning God gave me the
perfect answer.
For years I have loved quoting Revelation 5:12 while driving to the
office in the morning: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and
blessing."
However, after quoting the verse I have always asked, "How can I give
these gifts to Jesus?" He has all power and all wealth. He is the Source
of all wisdom, and He has all strength. All honor and glory and blessing
belong to Him. He needs nothing from me, and I need all these things
from Him.
Then Jesus brought to my mind the truth that He taught His disciples:
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40). Therefore, if we want to give
these things to Jesus, we can do it by giving them to family and fellow
believers.
The Greek word for 'power' is 'dunamis'. This word is used to describe
the virtue that flowed through Jesus to heal the woman with the issue
of blood. We can pray for those who are sick and help them resolve
stresses that result in physical problems.
The riches that God gives to us are multiplied as we share them with
those in need. The wisdom of Christ's commands give life as we explain
how we are applying them to our lives. When people have menial tasks
that we can do, we can use our strength to help them.
Everyone appreciates being honored for the things that God has done
through them. We can give them that honor. We can also magnify that
honor by praising them to others. Finally, we can bless them with the
qualities that will make them even more successful.
This is not just a "Christmas list" but a way to build up our families
and the Body of Christ all year long! May God give us spiritual eyes to
see the opportunities that He will provide so we can give these
priceless gifts to Jesus.