Gifts!
Christmas is just a day away! It is hard to believe it has been another year. Thinking back over the years what has been the gift that meant the most to you? I definitely remember mine. It is amazing how so many Christmases can pass but at least one or two really stick out.
I especially remember the year I was probably around 10. My brother bought me a gift he was so excited about. I remember getting the catalogs that had all the Christmas ideas in them. You that are older all remember them, right? There were the Sears, JCPenny, Montgomery Wards catalogs and probably some others that I don’t remember. We would pour over those catalogs dreaming of having the gifts there. They had all these wonderful things for you to use with your dolls and I loved to dream about them.
Then that wonderful Christmas came. Even to this day, I don’t remember what else I got, I just remember that one special gift my brother got me and I still have it today. It was a baby highchair. It was made out of wood with a cushioned seat and a cushioned back that was removable. I used that chair so much and got so much joy out of it. As I recall it was a real sacrifice. My brother paid $10 for it. That seems inexpensive to us today but at that time when you paid around $0.65 for a gallon of gas, you had to work really hard to earn $10. Now that my brother is gone it is even more precious to me.
Giving
Now that I am older what I love most about Christmas is not the gifts I receive as much as giving. It is so fun to see the expressions of joy on the face of a child when they receive a gift. Our children loved to get clothes even before they hit their teenage years. They were responsible to buy their clothes so if they didn’t have to buy clothes it was a great thing.
I have always been a practical buyer. On the other hand, my husband always bought gifts that were too old for their age or too frivolous to last long. But for several years now I do most of the Christmas shopping and everyone contributes money. Then every gift someone gets is from everyone. As the children get older the gifts get more expensive so this is very helpful, practical, and works well.
Don’t Forget…
We don’t want to get so caught up in all that is happening and forget the best Christmas. Now we all know that Christ was not born this time of year. But this is a time to remember. He was the very best gift that anyone of us has received. At least it has been offered to us but it is up to us to accept the gift. And unwrap the gift. We can unwrap the gift of Christ every day as we open His Word. And He gives us the most precious gift of the Holy Spirit that can lead and guide into all truth. Just like I love the joy of seeing others receive a gift, Christ is overjoyed when we receive His gift and unwrap it.
We cannot unwrap the Gift without the Holy Spirit. The fact is, we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. We may be able to try or seem like we are doing the right things. But if we are doing it with our strength and not allowing the Holy Spirit to do it we will be as the 5 foolish virgins.
Unwrapping
Have you ever asked for a gift for Christmas? There was something you really wanted or needed and you asked in hopes you would get it. As a kid and you saw the presents under the tree did you ever wonder if it is what you asked for? And then you decided to carefully open it to see? I never did that but I have known people that have done it.
When they carefully opened it they were so excited to see they got what they wanted. But then Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, depending on when you open when they opened their gift the excitement wasn’t the same. It seemed almost disappointing.
It makes me think about how God gave us the gift of His Son. And when Jesus left this earth He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we unwrap the Word of God with excitement to see what Gift He has for us the excitement doesn’t last. And it is because we open the Gift before the time. We think we want a sneak peek and the excitement seems so real but it wears off in time because we unwrap it before the time.
We get in a dig into the Word, unwrapping each text and seeing all the things that God wants us to do. And we start to implement them into our lives but there seems to be a problem. We are doing all the “right things” so we just keep plugging along. But we are angry, unforgiving, critical, finger-pointing, etc.
The Gift within a Gift
Even though we have unwrapped His Word we have forgotten a Gift that will make the unwrapping and the doing not about us but about Him. We can do nothing without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God gave His Son as a gift to us but without the Gift that Jesus gave to us, we are nothing. Jesus said, “Without Me, ye can do nothing” John 15:5 last part. And “without Me” is the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
We choose but He does the work! The parable of the wise and foolish virgins is a good example. They were all church members, following the Lord in everything. But the wise virgins were allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work through them, nothing of themselves. Whereas, the foolish were doing it with their own strength. They were both waiting for the coming of the Lord but when He came the foolish were lacking the indwelling workings of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus lived and walked this earth as you and I, He did nothing of Himself. It was only through the power of His Father. If He used His own power for anything He would have had an advantage over us. We can have the same power because it is the Power of Jesus through His Holy Spirit. And if our own “power” gets in the way we will be as the foolish virgins. We need to allow Christ through His Spirit to change us so that we have nothing to boast of ourselves but of Him.
Two gifts
So to me, there are two great gifts to be thankful for this Christmas season. The first gift is the gift of Jesus Who came from the glories of Heaven to this sinful earth to live a life fully through the power of His Father. And He died for all the sins of this world so that we have an opportunity for Heaven.
The second gift is the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift gives us the ability to be ready for Jesus’ second coming. We are saved through the precious blood shed by our loving Savior so that we can have forgiveness for our sins. And through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can live a victorious life. Although we are saved by Jesus shed blood we are rewarded by our works, which should be the work of the Holy Spirit living through us and nothing of ourselves. So the reward of Heaven will be given us as we ask the Holy Spirit to live within us and by allowing Him to perform the work that needs to be done in our lives. We need to ask for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit each day.
Dear Father,
Thank you for the gifts that You have given to us. I pray for the power of Your Spirit to come and dwell within our hearts. Come dwell in us not only during this Christmas season but every day for the rest of our lives. Help us to turn to You during every time of need asking for Your Spirit to perform the work within us.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Remember if Jesus could do nothing of Himself we surely cannot either. Allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to do the work through you today.
Love you all and I pray you have a blessed Christmas.
Can you share an experience where you felt the power of the Holy Spirit working in your life and you knew it was nothing of yourself but a gift? I would love to hear your testimony below.