A Crazy Way To Enjoy A Christmas Gift
A Crazy Way To Enjoy A Gift!
Dr. Vince Hefner, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Cherryville, NC
The Christmas season is upon us and we are getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Families are decorating their homes, hunting for a Christmas tree, preparing meals for incoming family and friends, planning and attending parties, going to Christmas parades, and buying and wrapping gifts. Out of all of these activities, finding the right gift for each person is the most challenging. The goal in giving a gift is to show the person you have thought about them and you have put some time in selecting their gift. Since my wife has this responsibility, my job is to agree with whatever she has selected and to pay for it.
Last year, my mother gave me a toy for Christmas. I’m not complaining, but I am in my mid-fifties, which is not all that old, but when you are getting the same type of gift that your 10-year-old nephew is getting, you feel a little foolish. Maybe my mother doesn’t want me to grow up and still sees me as a kid, or maybe it is because that at times I still act like a kid in her presence. Anyway, it was a beautiful remote-control helicopter. To be honest, I loved it and I always wanted one. When I was a kid I would get presents like this, but I would always tear them up. I decided this time was going to be different. Instead of taking my toy out of the box, I left it in the box and put it in a safe place in my bedroom. Whenever I thought about my gift I would take it from its safe place and look at it, imagining all the fun I could have with it, and then I would place it back. My wife asked me why I didn’t take my toy out of the box and play with it, and I gave her my reason for leaving it in the box. Of course the toy cannot be damaged while it is safely tucked away, but it cannot be enjoyed to its fullest extent. She told me that I was being silly and that my reasoning was a strange way to enjoy a gift. The more I thought about our conversation, I realized my wife made sense. However, at this point in time my helicopter is safe and sound!
A gift should be given at the right time, for the right reason, and to be used for the right purpose. Galatians 4:4-7 says, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir.” Our Heavenly Father knew the right time to send His Son to be born. The world had to be ready politically, culturally, and spiritually. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, all of these circumstances were in place.
Jesus Christ, God’s gift to redeem mankind, is still available for all of mankind today. However, we must do more than acknowledge the gift, or consider all the things we could do with the gift if we accepted Him. We must accept the gift of Jesus and take Him into our hearts as our Lord and Redeemer. It would be more than a crazy way to enjoy a gift if we thought about Jesus once a year, and then placed Him back in a safe place. What will you do with God’s gift of Jesus Christ this day, and every day that you live?
Remember, don’t give in to sin. Think about it!