Holiday Dinner Devotional | Dana C. Baldwin

I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like receiving gifts. While it is true that it is more blessed to give than to receive, receiving is not bad. We enjoy this time of the year for a variety of reasons. But most of us do not outgrow receiving a gift. We may even have a great deal of excitement seeing a gift for us under the tree and thinking about it and wondering what is under all that wrapping paper. Sometimes in an attempt to get what we want, we make a list for our families. We think about what we want and then we hope that people will buy for us from that list. And most of the time that works well. But just to ensure that we get what we want we give out sometimes not so subtle hints.

Two young boys were spending the night at their grandparents. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers when the youngest one began praying at the top of his lungs. “I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE… I PRAY FOR A NEW NINTENDO… I PRAY FOR A NEW VCR…” His older brother leaned over and nudged the younger brother and said, “Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn’t deaf.” To which the little brother replied, “No, but Gramma is!”

Unexpected Gifts

But we don’t always know what to think about some gifts. Some gifts are not exactly what we might have wanted or fit our personality.

Here are the top ten things to say about a holiday gift you don’t like:

Hey! That’s a gift.
Well, well, well…
Boy, if I had not recently shot up 4 sizes, that would’ve fit.
Perfect for wearing in the basement.
I hope this never catches fire!
If the dog buries it, I’ll be furious!
I love it, but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.
Sadly, tomorrow I enter the federal witness protection program.
To think I got this the year I vowed to give all my gifts to charity.
I really don’t deserve this.

God’s Greatest Gift

But then there are those times that you get a gift that just blows you away. The person put thought and consideration into the gift and it is just exactly what you wanted even if you didn’t know that you wanted it. These gifts are not usually something to wear. These gifts are special because they speak to the heart. These gifts are so very precious. And no amount of money can replace such a gift.

In this gift-giving season, we turn our attention to God’s greatest gift. No, it isn’t the baby Jesus—as precious a gift as that is. It is the gift of Jesus on the cross. It is our salvation. It is God’s gift of eternal life. And no amount of money could possibly replace that gift.

It is the greatest gift of all time. We didn’t even know we needed the gift, but the gift speaks to our heart. God knew exactly what we needed. He looked around and saw the depth of our sin, the height of our arrogance, the breadth of our despair, and the width of our lostness, and provided the perfect gift. Perfect as a gift and perfect in quality. Jesus is the perfect man who gives perfect eternal life.

But some refuse the gift. They open the package and act pleased but really do not want the gift. They are disappointed in the gift. But this does not take away from the quality of the gift. God has offered the gift once and for all, but he continually reminds us that the gift is available. We must receive the gift. We must open the gift in order to claim it as our own. And when we do, life is changed forever. And what more could any of us want? James tells us that God gives good gifts. Well, Jesus is more than just a good gift. He is the perfect gift. And we are thankful.

Follow Jesus

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