The other day I wrapped gifts and prayed that those who receive them will be blessed and reminded of the love of Christ when opened. Afterwards, I placed all the packages underneath the tree where they will sit until Christmas Eve/Day.
As I sat looking at the stack of presents on the ground a beautiful passage came to mind for me.
Philippians 3:7–9 (ESV) — 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
The truth is that underneath every Christmas tree is dump heap. That is in comparison to the riches that we have in Christ. Now I understand that the context for this passage is about Paul's past and prestigious heritage and not about any current or future blessings. With that said, it puts the pile of presents in perspective. It reminds us that these presents are worthless in comparison to love of Christ Jesus. It also reminds us that God loved us so much that He gave us the greatest present: Jesus! And now when we receive these gifts/blessings at Christmas time I see it as God showing off.
So now I ask you to be God's instrument to show off His great love. Use your time, talent, and/or treasure above and beyond normal this season to show the love of Jesus to someone. Proclaim the gift of His great love when you give. Otherwise, we will all just be surrounded by heaps of trashy presents.
Below is one of my favorite Christmas Songs:
The Gift by Randy Travis
The truth is that underneath every Christmas tree is dump heap. That is in comparison to the riches that we have in Christ. Now I understand that the context for this passage is about Paul's past and prestigious heritage and not about any current or future blessings. With that said, it puts the pile of presents in perspective. It reminds us that these presents are worthless in comparison to love of Christ Jesus. It also reminds us that God loved us so much that He gave us the greatest present: Jesus! And now when we receive these gifts/blessings at Christmas time I see it as God showing off.
So now I ask you to be God's instrument to show off His great love. Use your time, talent, and/or treasure above and beyond normal this season to show the love of Jesus to someone. Proclaim the gift of His great love when you give. Otherwise, we will all just be surrounded by heaps of trashy presents.
Below is one of my favorite Christmas Songs:
The Gift by Randy Travis
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