More Gifts & Blessings

"What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day." – Phyllis Diller

What's the heartbeat of Christmas? God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. In the most significant gift exchange that has ever taken place, God gave first. He gave His Son and, through His Son, He gave the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has come with more gifts and more blessings than we could ever have imagined.

But it is an exchange. In order to receive this life from Him, you must give your life to Him.

God designed life to work best when everything you have is released back to Him, and put in His control. His desire is to have our lives given over fully to Him, but here's what we do: We make a deal and say, “God, I really appreciate all these amazing gifts You are willing to give. They're really great, really! But, um, I'm really not quite ready to give you all of myself yet. Here, take this!"

And we give Him the part of us that we're willing to give. All the other stuff – the battles we want to keep our claws in, the areas we want to remain king over, the things we want to possess – we try to keep for ourselves, usually with disastrous results.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:1-2

This Christmas, the best gift that you can give yourself is giving all of yourself away to Him, so that you can fully receive what He is willing to give you.

Lord Jesus, I confess that there are many aspects of me and my life that I am holding on to. These things rightly belong to You, since I belong to You, and I know in my head that I would be better off to release them to You. By the power of Your Holy Spirit in me, by the faith which You promise to give me, I offer these areas of my life to You today, that I might experience true and proper worship! Amen.