The Perfect Gift

Volume 12 Issue 12

Greeting in His Name,

This post is better late than never. I am having serious issues with the internet service in my area. With that being said, take your mind back a few days before Christmas and begin to read today's blog entitled The Perfect Gift. Hope you find some inspiration, conviction, and queries.

P.S. Wishing you -had- a wonderful Christmas and declaring you a prosperous New Year!  

shalom and love,

heidi

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Scripture: James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Revealing The Perfect Gift..

What does perfect mean? Perfect means having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics. Something perfect is entirely free from faults or defects. A gift is a thing given, catch this wil-ling-ly to someone without payment; a present. In essence, the perfect gift, in the right here and now sense, is one that you or I may spare no expense. It's an item we go all out of the way to obtain for that special someone. The main goal is to make them happy and to bring satisfaction. 

In this blog, I want to explore a few clues to help us know or reveal the perfect gift during this season. The scripture says that every good and perfect gift is from above. There are some indicators in the Word that will help us un-wrap the perfect gift. 

Clue #1: The perfect gift brings Joy. 

Luke 2:8-10 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. [imagine this] An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. [This is the clue] I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

In the natural, joy comes with receiving a gift. The feeling is that of excitement for what we have received. However, when you take a look at the children of Israel, God's chosen people, whose lives have not been ideal. Their land has been invaded many times by foreign occupants; they have corrupt leadership and politically influenced priests; nothing at the moment seems to be joyous for this people called Israel. But there is a great awareness in the land that a Messiah would come one day and, with that coming – a future Jewish King. He would be from the line of David and the one who was expected to save the nation. This would be the perfect gift. The scene before us today is of shepherds standing before an ANGEL – with the glory of God surrounding them, declaring this good news – today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah. This message is the message they have been awaiting: the Messiah, the one who would restore order. What excitement – what joy as the shepherds head to Bethlehem? Their eyes would now behold the perfect gift that brings so much joy, lying in a manger. So the same for us over 2000 years later, we are in the advent of his second coming – Oh, What Joy. – The perfect gift brings joy. This is the perfect gift that will bring joy to his people.  

Remember! Every good gift and perfect gift is from above. 

John 3:16 is where we find our second clue: 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. Clue #2: The perfect gift brings Eternal life. Look at God. He spared no expense when it came to saving you and me. He Agaped us. He knew that it would take someone to intercede on our behalf. Someone to bring us back into relationship. Someone to bring us back into covenant. Someone to keep us from perishing. Without this gift, we are doomed to a fiery hell, but we can live forever more with this gift. Scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Our need for a savior -- then and now is the stark reality of our need for this perfect gift. The perfect gift that brings everlasting life.  

Clue # 3: The perfect gift brings Salvation.

Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." While we were yet in our sin, the perfect gift [Christ] died for us. John reminds us, and I often use this scripture to remind myself to stay under the blood of the Lamb. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. I dare you to throw the first stone. Because of humanity's waywardness – starting with Adam and Eve – we need this perfect – precious gift. The reality is we need this perfect gift more than we need any present under any tree. We need it more than a full bank account. We need it more than a bountiful spread we will eat tomorrow. We need it – this perfect gift that brings salvation because our sin keeps us separated from God, and as Jeremiah says, it deprives us of good things. The very word salvation which means deliverance from sin and its consequences - oozes from this perfect gift. I'm so glad the perfect gift brings salvation.

Our last clue can be found in Matthew 1:22-23. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). Clue #4: The perfect gift brings US together. Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! I am always overjoyed when I see scripture in the Old Testament that eludes to our being rescued. God was with us then, and He is still with us now. What a mighty God we serve, a God that thought enough of us not to leave us in our dismal state. The prophet Isaiah says it perfectly: for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Knowing this makes me wanna sing; what the world needs now is love, sweet love. This perfect gift sent to us from above gives us hope in hell, gives us peace during pressure, gives us joy amid injustice, and love in the midst of the unlovable. This gift brings us together. Despite what we see in the news, on social platforms, and on the internet, which makes us want to sing like Marvin Gaye, what's going on? We can take our minds to the stable, the lowest place, and find the perfect gift wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger. It is there we find the perfect gift that brings us together. 

The Christmas Gift

James, a preaching professor at Harvard University, tells the story of the year his 5-year-old son, John, was working on an art project in his kindergarten class. The project was made of plaster and resembled nothing, but with some paint, sparkle, and time in a kiln, it was ready to be wrapped as a gift. 

After three months, he wrapped it himself and was beside himself with excitement. It would be a gift for his father.

Early in December, when the child could hardly contain the secret, the last day of school finally came. All the parents arrived for the big Christmas play, and after the play, they were finally allowed to take their ceramic presents home. 

The professor's son secured his gift, ran toward his parents, tripped, and fell to the floor. The gift went airborne, and the shattering sound stopped all conversations when it landed on the cafeteria floor. 

It was perfectly quiet for a moment as all involved considered the magnitude of the loss. 

For a 5-year-old, there had never been a more expensive gift. He crumpled on the floor next to his broken gift and started crying.

Both parents rushed to their son, but the father was uncomfortable with the moment. – People were watching. – His son was crying. He patted the boy on the head and said, "Son, it's OK – it doesn't matter." 

His wife glared at James, the great professor. "Oh yes, it matters," she said to both of her men, "Oh yes, it does matter." She cradled her son in her arms, rocked him back and forth, and cried with him. In a few minutes, the crying ceased. "Now," said the mother, "let's go home and see what can be made with what's left." 

And so, with mother's magic and a glue gun, they put together from the broken pieces a multi-colored butterfly. Amazingly, the artwork after the tragedy was much more beautiful than it had been in a pre-broken state.

At Christmas, the gift was finally given, and as long as James taught at Harvard, the professor kept the butterfly on his desk. It was a constant reminder that grief is real and that loss hurts. It was also a reminder that great beauty can eventually emerge from significant loss. (Andy Cook)

The gift we have in the newborn child Jesus is precious and sweet, but this child was brought into the world to bring us back into a relationship with God. This process of restoration, just like John's broken art piece, is going to cause some grief, some loss, but as the story shows, out of that significant loss emerges great beauty that will give us (J)oy – Joy unspeakable! that will give us (E)verlasting Life – Life never-ending!, that will give us (S)alvation – Redemption from sin!, that will give (US) us the perfect gift of unity. I don't know about you, but I think the clues lead us to – Jesus! 

Live_Life is GOoD readers, and all who may just be passing by don't seek your gift in shopping malls or through internet shopping. Don't look in high courts and palatial palaces. Don't search under your tree, but look to that lowly stable and see your God extended on the straw; that's your perfect gift. 

LIFE QUOTE

“I think that the greatest gift God ever gave man is not the gift of sight but the gift of vision. Sight is a function of the eyes, but vision is a function of the heart."

-Myles Monroe

Let Us Laugh!

(https://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Religious.htm)

Hope to see you Next Month....

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