Minute Musings...What Will You Give?

With the start of the Christmas season at hand, many of us find ourselves wondering if
there will be time to get everything done.  There's the presents to buy, all the cards to
write, address and then get in the mail.  There is the big job of decorating the house,
both inside and out.  Then you must make sure that all the holiday baking is done, and
all the traditional candy and treats are bought, stored and ready to bring out when the
time is right.  There are the concerts, cantatas, Sunday School programs, work parties,
family get-togethers, and...well you get the picture!  The next month can wear you out
if you let it.  While all this is fun, I wish to encourage you this year, that amidst all the
hustle and bustle of the season, you make it a priority to find the time to quiet your spirit
and thank God for His blessings. 

Psalms 105:1 - 3  "O give thanks unto the LORD:  call upon His name:  make known
His deeds among the people.  Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him:  talk ye of all His
wondrous works.  Glory ye in His holy name:  let the heart of them rejoice that seek
the LORD."

What are you going to be seeking this Christmas?  Are you going to be seeking more
"things" that will just take up more room in the basement or closet?  When we possess
a spirit of thanksgiving towards the Lord, then our heart will seek Him more and more!
We get so caught up in what to give to people for Christmas, but have you ever stopped
to wonder what you can give to the Lord Jesus?  After all, it is His birthday we are
celebrating!  John 1:14  "And the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among
us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full
of grace and truth." 

There is only one thing that you can give Jesus, one thing that He desires above all else.
Psalms 51:16 & 17  "For Thou desirest not sacrifice:  else would I give it:  Thou
delightest not in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:  a broken
and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."  God wants us.  When we present
a broken and contrite heart before Almighty God, He is pleased.  This is the only sacrifice
that is acceptable to Him.  It says in Proverbs 23:26, "My son, give me thine heart, and
let thine eyes observe my ways." 

Does He have your heart today?  Are you observing His ways?  Don't get caught up this
year in all the materialistic trappings of this world.  With your eyes on your Savior, you
will keep the empty, hollow bustle of this world at bay, and instead you will be singing
and worshiping Him, glorying in His holy name, just as He desires that you do!  Psalms
71:23 & 24a  "My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee;  and my soul,
which Thou hast redeemed.  My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the
day long:"

In The Bleak Mid-Winter

 

Heaven cannot hold Him, Nor the earth sustain;

Heav'n and earth shall vanish when He comes to reign:

God Himself became a man - born to pay sin's price;

He's the great Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What can I give Him, needy as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a nobleman, I would do my part;

What can I give Him?  Give Him my heart.

 

                                     Christina Rossetti