Christmas Presents

Luke 12:48. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Okay, I’ll get it right out there and say that I’m not much of a Christmas present guy, either giving or receiving. I guess I was snoozing when the Christmas present gene was handed out. Fortunately my terrific wife does a great job of making Christmas morning a dizzying spectacle of presents that makes our kids’ eyes pop.

I do, however, reflect a lot on what God has given me. It is stunning. It frequently leaves me in a state of awe. I put a list of things that scripture suggests we should thank God for in my November 26th post. There’s an old saying that states we should lead lives with an “attitude of gratitude.” I like this. We do need to be thanking God regularly.

God enjoys giving us gifts. He does this because he loves us. Further, there are no strings attached. God extends us grace, which is defined as unmerited favor. We don’t deserve these gifts. God desires a relationship with us, but he wants it to be volitional, not coerced. He has given us free will.

There is something else. As we enjoy God’s gifts and love, it should produce in us a heart like God’s – a heart that wants to love in return. The more we appreciate God’s goodness in our lives, the more we should want to participate in his global love extravaganza. So the scripture above, while it sounds like a warning, finds its basis in God’s love for us and his desire for us to extend love to others.

Most of us reading this are Americans. Very simply, that means we have been given much and entrusted with much. Someone has said that if you were born in America, you have already won the lottery. Let’s reflect on what God has given us, and ask him to show us how we can use our gifts to serve him and others.