What God wants for Christmas… from you and me!

What God wants for Christmas… from you and me!   By Kelly Durant  12-17-2017

1 John 23:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

2. Thank God most people in this county get presents for Christmas! When I lived in Bolivia, I recall some kids would just get one thing, a soccer ball, or a new backpack, but the good thing is most everyone in their past has been able to get gifts and give gifts to those closest to them.  But have you ever thought, what is the gift that God wants from me? Stop…think hard…what is it?

I am going to help you answer this question by using some example right from the Christmas story in the Bible! When it was announced that the Savior of the world, the King of Kings, would be born of a virgin, to Mary a morally clean person, we conclude that God chooses to reward and bless those that are pure, those that are holy in heart. What should we give God?

Our holiness and purity is the first condition! If we have a totally submissive nature as Mary had, if we are so sincere with God that He takes notice, then we are giving to Him what he wants. Have you given God your holiness and submission?

3. When God tells Mary that she will give birth through the power of the Holy Spirit, we conclude by inference that God wants us to have the Holy Spirit present in our lives, but obviously it will be manifested in different ways! Matt 1:18. ¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Mary got a direct touch by the Spirit, her flesh merging with God’s Spirit. That was a one-time event, it never happened before and it would never happen again!

But later we learn about the disciples having the Holy Spirit power so we know that His Spirit is needed in our lives. Only with this power can we achieve anything and give back to God anything. What should we give God?  Obedience and acceptance of the Holy Spirit to work in our lives!

4. When God allowed Joseph and Mary to wander without a place to stay and be able to give birth in unpleasant conditions, we conclude that God chooses to allow us to be in humble situations, as they were surrounded by the animals of the manger. Imagine, no doctors, no hospital, and it’s just you, yourhusband, and God!

So what should we give God? Our humility! Our acceptance to be a nobody who conforms to not having normal luxuries at any time we want them. Having a humble heart is one of the gifts God wants from all human beings!

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Our humility is necessary! Give this attitude to God.

5. When God sent the angels to announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds he told them to, “Fear not!” What we conclude is that when you and I witness God’s glory, we tend to fear, not understanding what is happening in our lives. Fear can cause us to freeze up, but God always commands (in many places in the Bible) to “fear not!”

What did the shepherds do? Did they say, we need to run and get out of here because strange things are happening? No, they left their comfortable fields in the middle of the night and ran to Bethlehem to worship Jesus as the angels had told them to do. They actually stopped fearing and obeyed. Stop fearing the unexplained that God presents to you by natural or supernatural means.

What should we give God according to this lesson here? Our worship to Jesus! This event implies we need a willingness to be leaving behind our routine duties and go to the place where Jesus will be. Our worship of Jesus is imperative!

6. Also when the angels announced to the shepherds about Jesus birth, he said they had news of great joy, so how are we to respond to when we hear the news of Jesus? What should we give God? Our attitude of joy and happiness!

Jesus being born into the world to forgive us and save us should make us ecstatic! The angels had news of joy, the shepherds felt joy to find baby Jesus, the magi were joyful to give gifts to Jesus, so we conclude, anyone having anything to do with Jesus must feel overcome with joy! Don’t be dry, praise God and give Him joy!

7. When Jesus was presented to the temple on the 8^th day by his parents, they did this to fulfill a law, a custom and to give pair of turtledoves and pigeons. What we conclude is that God wants us to affirm dedication within the religious community celebrations. It was Jewish then, but it is Christian now, and the way we worship and donate is a lot less complicated. We don’t have to but birds and animals for sacrifices on the altar.

What should we give God? The giving of our gifts to express our gratitude to God for Jesus and how He provided good health and our daily provisions!

Our sacrificial giving is anticipated! Mary and Joseph gave to God, they shared with the religious community, so by this example we learn that everyone should give to the churches that are worthy of receiving support!

8. When God guided the kings of the orient by the miraculous star to come to worship Jesus and to give Him gifts, we conclude that God wants us to have the ability to receive as well as give, not rejecting anything in pride. 

What should we give God? A willingness to receive God’s provisions through others, even foreigners we know little about, rejecting the pride we might presume by boasting that we don’t have a need. The rich may humble you but forget your pride on how you like to earn your own income and are not beggars.

Maria and Joseph were soon going to need the gifts the wise kings gave them to travel to Egypt. Our absence of pride to accept God’s means of provision is a must! We learn we must receive gifts even if we do not understand them.

9. So are you a person with what God wants you to have for Him for Christmas? The Christmas story implies each of us must have purity, obedience to the H.S., humbleness, worship, a joyful attitude, sacrificial giving, and an absence of pride to receive! There are not many people in the world with all of these great qualities combined! You must lack a few, so now is your time to start anew!

You and I can mature and strive to have these qualities more present in our lives, right? What the Christmas story reveals to us is that you and I are not good enough for God because we fall short on being as selfless and holy as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the kings of the Orient, or as the angels!

It is sad but true that many people in their homes tolerate impure actions, and many do not pray very much to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and many of us can be arrogant with a complaining attitude, selfish, and prideful. Does this describe someone in your home? Maybe it describes you in some ways!

But Jesus came to save you and me from all of these horrible qualities that make us suffer and be disconnected from God and each other. Jesus came to restore us, to give us a new life, like a rebirth. And why? Because God and Jesus love you and me! And as in 1 John 3:16, we must live it too! Let’s pray to give to God, not as we please, but as He wants!