What's Your Gift for The Baby this Christmas?
If I were to give a gift to baby Jesus this Christmas, what could I bring? Chocolate? A music box? Or perhaps something made of gold? I play piano and I want to play a special song for the Baby this Christmas, I hope He will like it! There can be many presents, but most of all, I want Jesus to like my gift for Him!
How about you, what would your gift be? I am sure you'd think of something nice and that you'd also want Jesus to like it! But what would He prefer? What can you give a King? He has already got everything in Heaven and Earth, what could we possibly give Him?
What does He want?
To know what somebody might wish for Christmas, you should know that person, eventually try to grasp between the lines to see in what area his/her wish is spinning, of course, that's when you care enough for the person to even think of what he/she would like and not just bring a candy...when your friend is diabetic.
In my search to see what the Baby's preference might be, I started from some of His statements:
"This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you." John 15:12
It is obvious that His greatest desire for us is to love the other people. But how to do that? He said "as I have loved you" How did Jesus love His disciples?
What would you say if all your friends left you in the most painful moment of your life when your very life was threaten? For instance let's take as example a serious disease; seeing you in such a state, imagine them saying:" Oh well, he/she is no good any longer and she'll soon die, why stick around when we are so busy minding our own business ? What's to use, she'll die anyway!" Now supposing that a week later a miracle happens and you are in perfect health again, what would you tell them?
Humanly speaking it would be fair to tell them something like "You miserable...( along all the other "epithets" you might know), how could you do this to me? And you say you are my friends???"
Yes, you'd be right to tell them all to their face, however, after the most painful betrayal, Jesus loved them to the end; He died for them and even though all His disciples left Him when He was crucified, after His resurrection from the death He didn't come to them reproaching: "You traitors! What evil have I done to you that you betrayed me like that?"
No, Jesus didn't admonish them , He understood their human nature and its limitations and He came to them showing love and understanding. That's another facet of God's superiority.
Even when people treat you wrong - and they should have known better - if you want to be superior, try to answer back "giving bread" to your enemy.
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Mathew 5:43-48
To conclude with, the best gift for the Baby born on Christmas day is love; cut a slice of love for Him. How?
Here is how: replace the word "love" with your name in the following definition of love and see where you can add more love in your relationships and/or your character:
"Love (_your name here_) is patient and is kind; love (_your name here_) doesn't envy. Love (_your name here_) doesn't brag, is not proud,
Love's(_your name here_) ways are ever fair, it (_your name here_) takes no thought for itself; it(_your name here_) is not quickly made angry, it (_your name here_) takes no account of evil;
Love (_your name here_) has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.
But now faith, hope, and love remain-these three. The greatest of these is love.
Without love we are nothing "If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing.
If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:21-8a,13
Yes, the greatest of them all is love, so give it to all your loved ones this Christmas and ...especially to those who are not so easy to love. I know that's difficult, but ask The Baby for some Love and He'll surely give it to you from abundance!
May Love surround you this Christmas!
