Present - Present / Mrs Faith Livingston

Mrs Faith Livingston

Pastor's Wife

Southside Baptist Church

Sarasota, FL

Yesterday was a wonderful celebration of Christ's birth with my church family and my own family. Giving gifts (and getting them!) is one of my favorite parts of Christmas. As my children were enthusiastically ripping into their gifts, I was reflecting on presents and all that goes into selecting them, buying them, wrapping them . . . I like word games, so I came up with an acrostic for the word present:

       Prepare - we find coupons, search stores to find the best deals. We gear up for a long day of shopping with comfortable clothes and shoes. We make a budget for how much we can spend on each person.

       Research - what does each person want? Or need? (My little son was obsessed with buying everyone underwear this year.) Do they have hobbies? Is there something sentimental they would appreciate? (My father gifted me a special coin that had belonged to my grandfather.)

       Enjoy the journey - If you're like me, the last few weeks have been incredibly busy. Trying to keep everything balanced at "regular" times of the year is tricky enough, but when you throw in holiday entertaining, gift-giving, decorating, and baking, it's even harder to take a moment to enjoy those moments that truly make Christmas special.

       Seek the best - We want to give our loved ones the best we can give them. The anticipation of seeing them unwrap that gift that we carefully selected and wrapped is so wonderful. We want to see their face light up with joy, or amusement, or nostalgia, or shock (if they were the recipient of one of my son's underwear gifts!).

        Nothing in return - Our purpose in giving these treasures to others is not what we get in return, but the joy we ourselves receive in the gift. (Unless maybe it was a blue elephant gift exchange!)

        Treasure the memories - What wonderful memories I have of this Christmas and of others now long passed. The blessing of loving others and being loved in return is what makes Christmas so special.

All right. So, you may now be wondering . . . Well, that was a lovely acrostic, but I was expecting to read a devotional. There was nothing spiritual there at all! Let's look at a familiar verse:

      I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living

      sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  Romans 12:1

In this verse, the word present isn't a noun, it's a verb, an action word! And the gift we're giving is ourselves. Let's look at the acrostic again:

          Prepare - I have to prepare myself as a sacrifice, Romans 12:2 says, by not conforming to this world. I have to transform my mind, my way of thinking, so that I am not swept into worldly patterns of thought, but instead filter my thoughts through God's Word. That's how I can prepare myself for God's will for my life.

           Research - What does God like? What does God hate? What would God approve of in my life, and what would make Him sad? If I am going to be the best present I can, I want to be exactly what He wants!

          Enjoy the journey - If you're involved in the ministry for any length of time, you know that this isn't always the easiest thing to do! God doesn't promise us that our road will always be easy. In fact, he told us that the world would hate us. But if you read John chapters 15 - 17, when Jesus is facing a death full of pain and heart-ache, he tells us seven times that we should be "full of joy". In John 13:17, Jesus tells us, "If he know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."  So the best way for us to enjoy our journey, even though it may be difficult, is to continue doing the will of God!

          Nothing in return - What do we get as a reward for presenting ourselves to God? An abundance of blessings! He doesn't operate like we do. If someone gives you a gift, and you don't have one for them in return, it can sometimes cause an awkwardness in your relationship. Not so with God! He doesn't cut deals with us, and His gifts come without expectation of a return. How could we possibly match the great gift He gave us? 

           Treasure the memories - What wonderful memories I have of the things God has done for me! My sins have been forgiven, my life is changed, my prayers have been answered, my needs have been met! God and I have seen some amazing times together! 

We celebrate this Christmas because God gave the gift of His most-loved Son. What a world-changing gift it was! The trinkets that we exchange have nothing on that most priceless gift ever given. We owe everything to that one greatest gift. So today, please consider the gift you are giving God in return. We give God the only gift we can "reasonably" give - ourselves. But in what kind of condition is your gift? Is it fine-tuned for His service, or does it need some adjustment to be a worthy gift in return for all God has given you?