The Greatest Gift of All

Remember when you were a kid, it was Thanksgiving day and you could not wait to satisfy your flesh with that Thanksgiving turkey, those dinner rolls, macaroni and cheese, holiday ham, green beans, and that peach cobbler with homemade ice cream!

I am getting hungry just thinking about it! It was almost as if your beloved family member could not say that prayer fast enough, so you could sink your teeth into a large serving of food. After your third helping, you knew that by next week you would have to go to the gym twice in one day!

Oh wait, what about Christmas day!!! As a child, my siblings and I would sit by the Christmas tree on New Year’s Eve and wait in anticipation for Christmas morning to open those presents that we had been asking our parents for all year. It’s pretty insane how we wait for a couple holidays of the year to indulge in tasty treats, presents, and to see loved ones. Out of 365 days of the year, we choose a couple holidays to hold family gatherings and ask for specific gifts that we don’t necessarily need but want.

As I did some soul searching, I began to realize that I treat my relationship with God as such. I don’t know if you have ever been this way, but it’s almost as if I was waiting for a Christmas present or a Thanksgiving feast of a blessing. If we are honest with ourselves, we don’t desire God until we really need something. We desire His hand, rather than His face. We ask for things for the entire year so that we will get something in return.

If I can digress for a moment, you know when you really like someone?  There is something within you that wants to be around them all the time and it’s not because you want something. You enjoy their time and take interest in the person that they truly are. Often times, we don’t desire the Lord’s PRESENCE, we’d rather have His PRESENTS. We spend time going to church for security, not because the love of God is in our hearts.

John 5:39, 42-44 say,“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life but the Scriptures point to me! “Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.”

I really had to ask myself, what is the foundation of my relationship? Do I love God because of his presence or because of his presents? Do I really love Him because I want to spend all my time devoted to making Him happy or am I snuggling up to Him so that He can drop a blessing or two?

I challenge you to really evaluate your relationship with Jesus Christ, like I did. Do you really love Him? How sad would it be to find out that all along all we wanted was his Hand instead of His face?

Philippians 2:13 says,” For God is working in you giving you the DESIRE and the POWER to do what pleases Him!

If you ask God for the desire to love Him, He will grant it. He loves you so much and He is the greatest gift of all!

Love you guys.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!