Gifts



"You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives." (Luke 21:5–19)

Have you ever felt obligated to give a gift? A straightforward approach in those situations is to just decide how much to spend and purchase something that seems appropriate. Often there isn't much thought given by the gift giver, and likely the gift receiver's appreciation matches the giver's enthusiasm.

Think about some of the more memorable gifts you have received. Your list probably includes gifts of little value by earthly standards, yet they were priceless to you. Why is that? How is it that something that appears to be valueless can actually be priceless? Likely it is because those gifts were from the heart. What about a card from your wife that encourages you during a challenging time at work? I still have that one. What about a bookmark from your 9-year-old daughter that says, "I'll love you forever. I'll like you always. As long as I'm living my daddy, you'll be." I still have that one, too. And there are others. I am blessed to have many heartfelt gifts. Stuff comes and goes, but gifts from the heart last a lifetime.

As I consider the significance of the widow's offering, it clearly touched Jesus' heart, not because of the amount but because of her motivation. Her gift was a reflection of her heart. Jesus made a point to tell those nearby, likely His disciples, what was happening. As we consider the significance of Jesus' gift to us during the Easter season, may we never forget that it is a gift from the heart. By earthly standards, another man died. The ultimate gift was given by heavenly standards, one so great that it bridged heaven and earth. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

It is a gift from the heart of God.
Have you accepted His gift?
It doesn't just last a lifetime; it lasts for eternity.

LET US PRAY - Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus, our Saviour, a gift from Your heart. Help us share this gift with others during this Easter season and throughout the rest of the year. In Jesus' name. Amen.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Danger

Image
If you’re reading this right now then be warned. This devotional to spiritual warfare is a bit dangerous, not to you, but to your way of life. If ignorance is bliss, it aims to destroy that bliss forever. Imagine living in a house infested with termites. For years you never noticed them. Just beyond reach, just out of sight, they lived, they ate, they spawned, they festered. For all those years you blindly ate, played, and slept, unaware of the lurking presence right beneath your head at night. If you live in a house full of termites is it better to know or is it simpler to live in ignorance? If you prefer ignorance, then stop reading right now. If you don’t want to know about the spiritual forces that have been eating away at the foundation of your life and family like termites, then there’s no need to go any farther. Ignorance is in fact bliss, at least for the short term. This book’s aim is nothing short of ripping up the base boards, pulling out the sheetrock and exposing the d...
Read more

Worship

Image
Text: Psalm 104.24-35 Psalm 104 starts and ends with the words, “Praise the Lord, my soul”. The beginning and the end are a proclamation of praise to the Almighty God. In fact, the whole psalm is a review of the greatness of God in creation and, therefore, a meditation on God’s providence. To consider such things, helps us to draw closer to God and worship Him. If we are sincere with ourselves, our daily situations (children, work, news, stress, etc.) can take our attention away from God. It is not easy to just plug-in and worship the Lord. I find myself missing so much of God’s creation, because my mind wanders off to my daily concerns. My wife calls me to really see the beauty around us, otherwise I would miss it. How easy it is for us to be carried away and not once lift our eyes to the Lord, and worship Him that created the earth. Let us open our spiritual eyes, God has revealed through the authors of the Psalms that all of creation is called to worship. It is not just appreciation...
Read more

Fight Together

Image
Stand . . . Take . . . Pray. Ephesians 6:10, 14, 18 The final step in successful spiritual warfare is one that is as critical as the others but it is far too easily missed. The last step isn’t a specific verse or a piece of armor mentioned, but rather a verb tense. When most Americans read the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6, we read it through the lens of our individualistic, self-focused mindset. We worry about ourselves first and foremost. As harsh as it sounds, everyone else can fend for themselves. But that’s not the intention at all behind Paul’s instructions on spiritual warfare. When Paul tells us to stand firm, to take the pieces of armor, to pray, the verb is not in the singular form, it’s in the plural. To use Southern language, it’s as if he’s saying, “Y’all stand, y’all take, y’all pray.” Why is this important? Because too often our defeat in spiritual warfare comes from the fact that we try and engage in it on our own. And please understand this: if the enemy ha...
Read more