Today is the last installment of our special Christmas series called, Jesus Who? We will explore the gifts that keep giving long after Christmas is over.
By the way, next week we are taking off to be with our family. I will be back on January 9, 2018 with an exciting kick-off for the New Year.
“He who has not Christmas in his heart
will never find it under a tree.”
Roy L. Smith
Every year Jesus gives me a gift on December 24. His gift giving began about 15 years ago, early on a Christmas Eve morning. I was doing my normal morning routine of sitting in my quiet place with a cup of coffee, my journal and Bible talking to God. When suddenly the Lord began to speak inside my heart.
Cindy, you have felt a small part of my heart. The greatest gift I can give you is more of Me.
What I didn’t realize at that time, was the year before, I was thinking about what I could give to God for Christmas. I wrote in my journal, What could I give my Father who has everything? Then I headed out for a walk in the park and as I was walking, I began to feel His presence. It was in that moment, that I gave Him a Christmas gift — more of my heart.
In looking back at the many gifts God has given me for Christmas, I realized He always wants to give us more of Himself. And as we grow in our relationship with Him, we are readying ourselves to receive His more. The amazing part is God has designed us to connect with Him in a real way. The deeper we grow in our connection with Him, the more He can give us.
During what we call the Christmas season, the ultimate gift was given by God to us — His Son, Jesus. And with the birth of Jesus, God’s love was displayed for all to encounter. His gift of love to us made a way for other gifts to be released.
In our busy and fast paced world, we use the word love as a replacement for things we really, really like! We love our cars, our food, our new smartphones — you get the point.
It was God who originated love! So, let’s take a minute to recalibrate our meaning of love to His design for love.
God’s love is extravagant. His love is faithful, unconditional, generous, kind, protective, patient, pure and without restraint. His love calls us valued, esteemed, worthy, full of purpose. His love is relational.
When God poured out His immeasurable, infinite love on us through the gift of His Son — Jesus, we have learned what love should look like. And because of their love, we were created with the ability to love others. The wonderful surprise about this is the more we love others, the more we are able to receive love. It is like a gift exchange – we gift love and we receive a gift of love.
And there is more! Jesus tells us what we can expect when we give. “Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.” (Luke 6:38 TPT) It is a continuous circle, like a Merry-go-round, you cannot out give God’s love.
Loving generously triggers the natural sequence of other gifts being released. Here are a few of the gifts love can trigger.
Love produces hope! Jesus is the source of our hope. Hope provides confidence and security. Hope in Jesus sets an expectation for our future that won’t disappoint us.
Love produces forgiveness! In this continuous circle of giving, Jesus’ gift to us is forgiveness. When we are forgiven, our walls of self-protection are broken down freeing us to give the gift of forgiveness to others.
Love produces our identity and purpose! Each one of us are made in the image of God. He calls us His delight and through Jesus, we become part of the family. As we grow in His love, we grow in the reality of our identity and the purpose God has for our lives also unfolds.
Love produces joy! Joy is an internal life that comes from the foundation of being loved. We can tap into the deep rooted joy in our hearts, regardless of the external circumstances in life. Joy keeps our hearts in alignment with His love.
God is an extravagant giver. He wants you to experience the excitement of generously giving and abundantly receiving.
What gifts are you wanting Him to incorporate into your life in this season?
I hope you have enjoyed this series on Jesus who? this Christmas Season. We will be off next week on vacation, but we will post the most popular from this year.
Don’t miss the opportunity to find out more about Jesus by ordering my two books, 7 Visions and Believing God and Believing His Word. They make great Christmas gifts, and if you order now — you will receive signed copies, while supplies last. With special pricing of 2 for $20.
Order on my website at https://cindy-stewart.com///media/books/
They are also available on Amazon in Kindle format.
Remember, you are the best investment you can make.
1https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5946126.Roy_L_Smith Accessed 12.6.17