“Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” — John 7:38
“Present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness” — Romans 6:13
One of the cutest things I’ve ever seen occurred when my oldest daughter, Anna, was in kindergarten. As the children in her class came out to sing in their Christmas program, they each wore a big, red bow across their chest. With a glistening smile and beaming eyes, Anna joined her class in singing the song I’m Gonna Wrap Up Myself for Christmas.
I’m gonna wrap up myself up for Christmas … And tie me with a big red bow;
That’s what I’m giving to Jesus … It’s a present He’ll like, I know! …
I tried to think of all kinds of presents … That would be good to give to a King;
I thought real hard and then I decided … That the present He’d like best is me!
The Perfect Gift
Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. Yet we typically celebrate His birth by giving gifts to almost everyone we know … except Him. What gift could you or I give to Jesus the King of Kings and Creator of all things? What would be worthy to present to Him? What would He want? As it clearly says in this children’s song, the best gift any of us could give to God this Christmas is us. That is what the Lord wants more than anything this year.
In view of all the great gifts the Lord has lavished on us — the gift of salvation, the gift of His grace, the gift of His love, the gift of His peace, and the gift of the Holy Spirit (to name just a few) — we should offer ourselves freely to Him. Every believer, every child of God, should “wrap up their lives” afresh and anew and present them to their heavenly Father. But how?
We present our lives to God just the way those kindergarten children did … as a child! Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me … for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Luke 18:16-17).
A child’s heart is so simple and pure. Children love fully and completely — with nothing held back. My granddaughter Ellie is a great example of this. She just “lights up” when she sees me. A while back, when I was helping her parents with a project in their backyard, she looked out her window and saw me working. Soon I heard a banging sound as she pounded on the window … she was so excited Grandpa was there. If you’ve lost your child-like love for God … this is the season to get it back and lavish it on the Lord.
Children also trust so completely. Have you ever noticed how a small child, even a baby, allows you to pick them up and carry them? They don’t seem to be the least bit worried that you might drop them. We, too, need to get back out child-like trust in God. Our Heavenly Father has promised He will never leave us nor turn His back on us. His heart is to prosper us and help us have a hope-filled future (see Jeremiah 29:11). So, let us live with great expectations of what He wants to do in … and with … and through our lives.
This Christmas, as we commemorate Father God’s greatest gift to mankind — His Son Jesus Christ, and contemplate the love that prompted such a gift, may our response be one of yielding our lives afresh to Him as His children — fully and completely.
What can I give my Heavenly Father,
The One whose love adopted me?
I’ll give to Him my love, my life …
For time and all eternity.
All contents of this website are protected under copyright. Living Water Ministry © 2020 All rights reserved.
www.livingwaterministry.net