Receiving God’s Gifts
Pastor Michael Wise
I once read that the most valuable Christmas card in the world was sold at auction in Devizes, Wiltshire, UK on November 24, 2001. The card, measuring 13 x 8 cm (5 x 3 inches) was hand-colored by the London illustrator John Calcott Horsley and sent by Bath’s Sir Henry Cole to his grandmother in 1843. It was bought by an anoymous bidder for £20,000 = $28,000.
And that an Austrian designer, Peter Aloisson, makes phones covered in gold and diamonds for affluent clients. He produced the most expensive phone ever made: a Motorola covered in 1200 diamonds and featuring a keyboard soaked in 18-carat gold. You could have had one, for a mere £28 000 = $49,590.80. He said, “The people who buy my phones don’t have to worry about security – they all have bodyguards,”. The world’s most expensive phone, by Luke Tagg Posted Thu, 22 Nov 2001
But truly, the greatest, most precious, and costliest gift ever given to man(kind) was wrapped in swaddling clothing.
Luke 2:10-14 says this “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
We sometimes receive gifts we wish we hadn’t – maybe it was something didn’t need or like, or was the wrong size or color, etc. I read that about one-third of holiday purchases are returned. But the gift of Jesus is not something one should return. Not only does Jesus give us salvation and victory and eternal life. He has 12 special gifts that are given to us, when we have Him.
Before mentioning God’s gifts, please consider what Satan wants to give you:
12 “Gifts” from Satan:
· Strife/Unrest/Sorrow
· Wandering
· Poverty
· Insecurity
· Foolishness
· Bad Reputation
· Unmet Needs
· Children A Curse
· Forgotten
· Hopelessness
· Uncertainty
· Destruction
Now those are “gifts” we should never want to receive or accept!
But consider the gifts God gives us in and through Jesus:
12 Gifts from God:
· Peace
Stress, depression, and suicide are at epidemic proportions in the world. But Jesus has a solution; His peace.
Psalm 29:11 “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
· Joy
Which would you rather be around – negative, critical people or happy, positive people? Which kind of person are you? God again has a solution: Jesus will share His joy with you 🙂
Psalm 97:11 “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.”
John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
· Guidance (in decisions)
Do you ever have times where you wish you knew what path to take, which direction to turn, what decision to make? God will guide.
Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
Luke 1:79 “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace”
· Prosperity
We generally equate prosperity with wealth/money. But God promises us success in our life achievements as we follow His plan for us.
Deuteronomy 29:9 “Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.”
3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
· Security
I think everyone likes to feel a sense of security in their life, yet precious few do. But God has another gift for His children:
Job 11:18 “And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.”
Psalm 4:8 “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
· Wisdom
I’ve read that knowledge is simply possessing facts/reality, but wisdom is knowing how to apply it appropriately. Wisdom is another gift.
Ecclesiastes 2:26 “For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy:
Luke 21:15 “For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.”
· Favour / Well Regarded
Most people want a good reputation, to be well regarded, and to be treated with favor. God promises this blessing to the righteous:
Psalm 5:12 “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”
Proverbs 14:9 “among the righteous there is favour”
· Needs Provided by God
Who doesn’t have needs? We are a needy people! And God has a solution, another gift:
Psalm 72:12 “For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
· Children Experience Blessings
Most parents would make incredible sacrifices to help their children. God, who made the greatest sacrifice of all, promises another gift to us, for our children:
Psalm 112:2 “The generation of the upright shall be blessed.
Proverbs 20:7 “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
· Never Forgotten
How do you feel when an old friend forgets your name? Jesus never forgets you!
Isaiah 49:15-16 “Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;”
Hebrews 13:5 “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
· Hope, even in Death
One of the most tragic and sorrow-filled moments of our life is when we lose a loved one or face the imminence of our own death, and if Christ doesn’t return soon, we will experience the first dealth, the death of sleep. But God gives hope out of the tragedy of death:
Proverbs 14:32 “the righteous hath hope in his death.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first”
- Sure Reward
So much of this world bring uncertainty. We joke that only taxes and death are certain. Thats not true, when we have Jesus we have the certainly to salvation and a future reward in heaven and the new earth:
Proverbs 11:18 “but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. “
Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven”
12 precious gifts given to us by God when we accept His greatest gift – His Son, Jesus Christ!
Perhaps your family likes to do gift exchanges; so does God. He offers to take our sin, our certainty of eternal death, and gives us Christ’s righteousness and the certainty of eternal life.
But there is also one particular gift God would like us to give Him. A gift that must be freely given. He won’t force it from us.
What is the greatest gift we can give God, the one gift He wants most…? Our whole heart, our life, our very being:
Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Psalm 111:1 “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.”
Psalm 119:2 “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”
Mark 12:33 “And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
That’s what He wants…..Our whole heart, not just parts of it!
Jeremiah 24:7 “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
And if you’re not certain if you can, remember He can, and will, give us…..a new whole heart, with new desires and goals, if we ask and let Him.
Jeremiah 32:38-40 “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 ‘then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 ‘And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.”
My friend, this holiday season as well as through out the year, as you consider what God has given you in and through Jesus Christ, will you make a decision to give God your whole heart, even if you don’t feel it is much to give, He’ll take it, and make it new!