Give more of yourself

DAILY BYTE

A final ‘starting suggestion’ for the practical expression of your worship of Christ as King this Christmas would be this – give more of yourself.

Whatever you may give to others this Christmas, be sure to include more of yourself as an intrinsic part of every gift. It’s one thing to dig into your pocket in order to give a gift, but altogether another to dig into your heart and offer something of what is there.

Again, this gets to the very core of the Christmas story, which is all about the self-giving love of God that held nothing back in pouring out his love & his life in the person of His son Jesus. Our giving can truly become a worshipful response when it engages our hearts in the same kind of way.

Remember, it doesn’t cost anything to express sincere words of appreciation, or encouragement, or reconciliation, or love – whether they be spoken, or written in a note or a card.

It doesn’t cost anything to ask a family member who is going through a really tough time to tell you about it, if they want, and then to listen with kindness and care and without any judgement to what they say.

It doesn’t cost anything to come to church, not for the sake of appearances or because it’s the thing to do, but because you want to present the totality of who you are before God in complete surrender.

It is your presence that transforms the presents you give from mere things to generous and precious acts of love. It is the investment of your self that transforms the giving of gifts from soulless consumerism to life-giving gestures of love.

There’s a well-known story about a missionary who was working on some remote island, spreading the good news of the gospel. He had been telling the local population how Christians, as an expression of their love, gave each other presents at Christmas time.

On Christmas morning, one of the natives brought the missionary a seashell of exquisite beauty. When asked where he had discovered such an extraordinary shell, the man said he had walked many miles to a certain bay on the far side of the island, the only spot where such shells could be found.

The missionary was astounded. “Do you mean to say that you walked all that way for me?” he said.

The man’s eyes brightened as he replied, “Long walk part of gift.”

Give more of yourself this Christmas.

In concluding this week’s devotions I’d ask you to consider this question one more time: What kind of Christmas do you want to have this year?

Remember, there is a fundamental choice that we each can make. Either, like Herod, we can allow the pursuit of our own agenda and our own selfish needs and desires be the motivation for our ‘coming to Bethlehem’. Or, like the Magi, we can approach this season in order to worship Christ with the totality of our lives.

If you’re serious about wanting to offer the counter-cultural response of worship this Christmas, there are three starting suggestions as to how you can begin to do that. Simplify; practice hospitality, give more of yourself.

This is the way not just to survive Christmas, but to consecrate it. And through the worship of your life this Christmas season, may you encounter once again the God who comes to be with us in all of his liberating love and redeeming power.

PRAY AS YOU GO
“I want to give you more, all praises you deserve, you’re holy and you’re righteous!
I want to listen more, to your Spirit’s call, you’re holy and you’re righteous!
Jesus you are God, high above all else!
Maker of the universe, high above all else!”

Lord Jesus, those words from a chorus express a deep desire of what we truly want – to give you more, in acknowledgement of the Lord and God that you are! May this be true for us this Christmas. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING
Philippians 2:4-5
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.