A blessed Christmas to all readers of Heart Treasure as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  On the day, there will be gifts under the tree, ready to be opened, the house will smell fantastic and family and friends are soon arriving.  It is the season for giving because God gave His Son to us.   2 Cor 9:15 (NLT) “Thank God for His son – a gift too wonderful for words!”

christmas treeThe three wise men recognised the season they were living in and brought gifts to Jesus.  Matt 2:1-11

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem  and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’  …After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 1On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Giving gifts is a powerful thing to do.

  1. They are a way to show love and win over the heart of someone. Prov 18:16 LB “A gift does wonders it will bring you before people of importance.”  Gifts can bring you before important people.  God considered us so important that He sent us a gift in His Son.
  2. Gifts open the way for peace and restoration. Jesus came carrying the gift of peace, to restore us.  Prov 21:14 tells us that an angry man can be silenced with a gifts.  The penalty for sin, is silenced by the gift of Jesus, (Rom 5:17) Jesus is the gift that keeps on for-giving.
  3. Gifts reflect the personality of the giver. It shows their thoughts about you, their generosity towards you and their capacity.  The gift of Jesus shows us the personality of God, what He thinks about us, so that He generously gives us His only son.  He is a gift too wonderful for words.
  4. christmasThey are a key way to honor and value someone, by giving a gift we show how special they are and how much we love them. Queen Sheba did this when she came to visit Solomon, she brought generous gifts to honor and value Solomon.  Jesus’ gift honors and values us, God shows us that we have such great value that He seeks to bless us with a generous gift.
  5. Gifts are never owed, earned or deserved. They are simply given by the giver.  We receive a free gift of eternal life through forgiveness of sin, from God through Jesus (Rom 6:23).  We do not have to work for it, or earn it; we are simply to receive it. (Rom 4:4).  We don’t have to be especially good or special to earn it either, it is given to us, just as we are. (Rom 11:6)
  6. Gifts should meet the needs of the recipient. We are blessed by receiving a gift, especially when it meets a need we have.  The gift of Jesus meets our needs: “And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning Saviour), for he will save the people from their sins.” (Matt 1:21, 1 John 3:5)  Jesus continues to meet our needs on a daily basis.
  7. Gifts demand a response from the recipient. You remember your Mom telling you to thank the people for the gifts you receive, well in the same way the Magi, who followed the star, brought gifts and then “…bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”  When we are given the gift of Jesus, it requires a response from us, John 1:11 LB “Only a few would welcome and receive him.  But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Let us take time to remember the wonderful gift of Jesus, to marvel at the beauty of this gift and finally, to receive it.

2 Cor 9:15 (NLT) “Thank God for His son – a gift too wonderful for words!”

Be blessed over Christmas my friends.

Love Michelle du Toit

And everyone at Heart Treasure.

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