Gifts For The King
In the past few weeks, the magazine catalogs have continued to come, sometimes five or six a day, promoting and offering different Christmas gifts from various locations around the world. For many years, these have been my shopping outlet for Christmas. Lacking the time and wisdom to know where to shop, I let the shopping venues come to me! Starting in September, I perused each magazine carefully for any ideas. I would consider things that would be of use in the house, the garden, the car, or for travel. Was there anything that needed to be replaced? Had any new tastes or interests developed in the last year? What was most enjoyable? Was any hint of a need or desire expressed which I had overlooked? Gradually over the next several months until Christmas, I accumulated item after item and hid them in my den, wrapping them and putting them under the Christmas tree soon after Thanksgiving each year.
Although Bev enjoyed these gifts very much, there were other gifts that she appreciated even more. One of these was simply the gift of my time. I would schedule a full day off from work with no appointments at the office or hospital. I arranged for one of my partners to take all of my calls that day. My desire was just to be available to her. She planned the day! My goal was just to be with her and to be involved in the things that interested her. Over the years we both learned to treasure the day together. Another part of our Christmas time that gave her delight was seeing my joy at what she had given me. She was particularly pleased when she saw that I was fully understanding and utilizing the gifts she had given to me. The deepest part of our joy together, however, was a celebration of trust that we had given to each other many years ago. This gift of trust in our relationship was foundational to every other gift.
These traditions came to a close last year, when Beverly received the gift that surpasses all gifts, the gift of being present eternally with the Lord. My oldest daughter, Nicolle, also joined her around the throne just ten days before Christmas last year. When the ones who have been with you for fifty six years (Bev) and fifty one years (Nicolle) are gone, to whom then do you give Christmas gifts? My thoughts turned to the One who will never leave you or forsake you! He is the great I AM, the One who becomes all I need Him to be when I need Him to be all that I need. He, the Creator and giver of all things, humbled Himself and was born a babe in a manger and received gifts from us, his creation, in the form of gold, frankincense and myrrh. He, our Redeemer, the One who purchased eternal life for us at the cost of His own life, was the One to whom gifts were given at the first Christmas! Although He needs no gifts, He still rejoices at what we bring to Him. This year, I am choosing to give Him the gifts that Bev treasured the most year after year, the gifts of time, thankfulness, treasuring her gifts, and trust.
I have selected a day as I did with Bev, several weeks from now, which is to be a gift from me to the Lord. I am planning to spend the entire day with Him, just the two of us together. I am asking Him for His agenda, not mine! It will doubtless include time with Him in His word, time together in prayer and a significant portion of time to simply wait and listen to Him. I will wait for Him to show me what He wants me to do that day. I call it a gift from me to Him, but it will really be His gift to Me! “Come near to God, and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8)
As I would give Bev the gift of thankfulness for her gifts to me, I am planning on doing the same with the Lord this Christmas. There is no material need that I have that He has not abundantly and exceedingly met. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) This is also true regarding every spiritual need I have or will ever have! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)
Another gift that Bev appreciated was for me to demonstrate my interest in, and use of the gifts I had been given. Whether this was sports related or for the yard and garden maintenance, she was delighted to see me using it to its intended capacity. Likewise, the gift that I can bring to the Lord is to receive fully the gifts He has given and allow them to be used by Him for His glory. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (I Peter 4:10)
The greatest gift that Bev and I gave to each other not only at Christmas time but throughout the year was our unwavering trust in one another. This, then, is the most important gift that I am giving to the Lord this year, my unwavering trust in His love for me. It is the gift that I know will bring Him delight! As gifts are given at Christmas, we look for delight on the faces of those to whom we give gifts. We can tell this readily from the expression of the eyes, the smile, and the excited demeanor of the recipient of the gift. We do not often remember that we have a Lord who waits to be delighted as well. His delight is more real than those of our children at Christmas time! It does not fade away as it sometimes does with others. It is eternal. There is nothing He cherishes more than to be delighted with us! He tells us what brings Him this delight in Psalm 147:11, “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” I can bring Him delight this Christmas by simply putting my hope in his unfailing love!
The Lord, being in very nature Love, is governed in all He does for us and in us by His infinite love. This love is expressed to us with His perfect knowledge and absolute control. At any given moment in our lives, it is impossible to escape the center of His love for us! We can, then, confidently say the following with the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
At Christmas time we commonly sing songs about the cradle in the stable. The cradle, however, was only necessary as a path to the cross. What the Lord desires is that we join Him by faith at the cross, trusting in His atonement for our sins, so that we may be in the mighty throng in glory as we see Him receive the crown! The joy of our presence there with Him is the reason why He came 2,000 years ago! May this cause for celebration be with you this season and throughout the coming year!
In Christ, Richard Spann