Midweek Encouragement - "Giving Yourself"

"Giving Yourself"

Christmas is all about a love that shows itself in giving. Just as Jesus is God’s gift of love at Christmas, so our Christmas giving should express our love. Be honest . . . How often are you tempted to give someone a gift just because they gave you a gift? You may not like to hear it, but Christmas is about giving, not about buying.

          Whoa! What was that? I’ll say it again, slowly this time: Christmas . . . is . . . about . . . giving . . . not . . . about . . . buying. Think about that. Pray about that. And brace yourself . . . you’ll get little support from many people if you decide to take this conviction to heart. A secular, consumerist culture will poke a rude finger in your chest and say, “By whose authority can you say and do these things?”

         Let’s think about the practical implications of that statement. Have you considered making some gifts with your own hands instead of ordering them from Amazon with the click of your mouse or a swipe of your finger? Have you considered giving the gift of yourself and your time instead of giving stuff that will end up in the back of someone’s closet or re-gifted to someone else? Why not give some of your famous home-baked goodies instead of another half-baked gimmick? I think you get the idea.

         Once you decide that Christmas is for giving, not buying, your Christmas will begin to mean what it’s supposed to mean: love. And your Christmas will start to feel more like God’s love.



         Why not ask the God of Advent love to help you be less concerned with buying and more concerned with giving this year?! Let me know how it works for you!

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this email with anyone you choose. And if for some reason you'd like to stop receiving PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send me an email (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.