It was priceless! I was in Wal-Mart last week, and I saw a little boy secretly lifting a toy over into the shopping cart as his mother was looking the other way. She turned just in time to see it fall in and said, “Derek, what are you doing? You know Christmas is almost here. We can’t buy that today.” To which he replied, “But mom, I want to get me this for Christmas.” I had to laugh and say under my breath, “At-a-boy!” Since then, I’ve thought long about that scene and decided that there are some things I want to give myself for Christmas – not physical things, but spiritual things. Consider the following.
I want to give myself a greater faith in the provisions of God.
God provides all of our needs (Philippians 4:19). We shouldn’t think that the Philippians were wealthy benefactors of Paul who could easily spare the money. As Paul described them in 2 Corinthians 8, it is plain that their giving was sacrificial. This promise meant something to them! The promise is to supply all your needs, but it is all your needs (not a promise to go beyond needs). In this, the promise is both broad, and yet, it is restricted.
I want to give myself a greater hope in the promises of God.
God is faithful and true in everything that He says and does. So, you can count on the promises of God in the Bible to be absolutely trustworthy. Christians draw great hope from the words of the well-known song, “Standing on the Promises of God” (cf., 2 Peter 1:4; Hebrews 6:12; 10:23). Read Romans 4:19-21. The promises of God don’t depend on our abilities, but instead they depend on God’s ability. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. They themselves had zero ability to bear children. The key was Abraham’s confidence that God had power to do what He had promised.
I want to give myself a greater love for the person of God.
The strongest thematic message in the Bible is God’s love in redeeming man through Jesus Christ. Everything revolves around God’s love. God, Who created the universe by His Word, is the source of love, which is love in its truest, purest and perfect form. Therefore, we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Let us grasp how wide, long, high and deep the love of God is. God’s love endures forever (Psalm 118:1). The earth is filled with God’s love (Psalm 119:64). His love is even better than life (Psalm 63:3), and it surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:18; cf., Romans 8:38-39).
