Gifts For Jesus

 Text: Matthew 2:11    IBCSWS   December 24, 2006

Preacher: Pastor Jose B. Cabajar

   Gift giving is a delightful way of expressing one’s affection to others. It’s a friendly act with a personal touch. Apparently, the uniqueness of the gift exhibits the giver’s sincerity and excitement of his unquestionable love.

   Through the ages, Christmas Season has been well-known as gift-giving season. The act of giving is well-illustrated in most part of the world during the month of December and people from all walks of life really look forward to this colorful season to celebrate the birth of Christ our Savior.

   Although Christ is usually crowded out by materialism during Christmas, people who believe that Jesus came into the world to save sinners still acknowledge that Christmas must give emphasis to the love of God. In John 3:16, it is written, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV) For many reasons, many people don’t believe that Christmas is a part of Christian life, but for true believers, we believe on the virgin birth of Jesus and that He came into this world to give humankind the greatest gift of all.

   Undeniably, the wise men in Matthew Chapter 2 acknowledged the birth of Christ; they really searched where the new born King of the Jews could be found, and through divine help, they found the young child. In Matthew 2:11, it is written, And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. (KJV) This passage gives us a glimpse of the kind of faith the wise men possessed. The verse tells us that they fell down and worshipped Jesus, and presented Him significant gifts.

   The gifts we give to Jesus today do not only define our faith but also the kind of love we have for Him. The significance of our gifts will surely make the difference.

   To enhance our giving, we can use the word “GIFTS” as a guide and a reminder every time we offer our gifts to God so our giving will become more meaningful and delightful.                                    

Gratitude

   Behind our best gift for Jesus is our gratitude toward His mercy and the exceeding abundant grace He has given us. The more we appreciate God’s salvation, the more we give thanks to Him in an exceptional way. We believe that behind the wise men’s gifts was their deep gratitude toward God’s awaited salvation.  

   In I Timothy 1:12-14, it is written, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (KJV) May we not forget to express our appreciation to God through our extra-ordinary thanksgiving.

Interest

   Our gifts and the way we give them have something to do with our physical, emotional and spiritual inclination. They also reveal our hidden intelligence and personal taste. When a believer truly puts God first in all areas of his life, his gift to Jesus surely becomes priceless because of his spiritual inclination toward the things of God. The manner we give uncovers our real interest in life.           

Faith

   We may not be as meticulous as the wise men when it comes to gift giving, but the wise men taught us how significant our gifts should be, especially when we are giving gifts to our God. The gifts of the wise men remind us of the Lord as our King, as our Mediator and as the needed Sacrifice for our sins. Their faith in the Lord was well-expressed through their giving. May our precious faith be well-dramatized through our giving.      

Thoughtfulness triggered by true love

   True love is the secret of a well-thought out gift. Those who claim they truly love the Lord and yet unmindful of Him have questionable love. As a result, when it comes to gift-giving, the Lord Jesus is not in their list. The Lord Jesus must not only be a part of our well-spoken words, but a part of our thought life, and our activities as well. The wise were obviously mindful of the coming Lord of lords and King of kings. Through their gifts, they show that they were aware of the object of their love.     

Submission

   The way we give to God reflects our submission to His perfect will for our lives. The wise men’s gifts were well chosen and very significant because they already had a good knowledge concerning the child Jesus. They knew that God was revealed in the flesh. They knew who Jesus was, and when God warned them about Herod, they humbly submitted themselves to God and followed His will for their lives.

   If we have prepared something special for the Lord today, let it be the unquestionable manifestation of our submissiveness to Him and to His will for God’s glory.      

   Every man who has truly received the gift of salvation should give his best to the Lord. Giving must be a notable part of his life. Without giving, man cannot live a joyful and peaceful life. Through giving, his gratitude, interest, faith, true love and submission to the blessed will of God truly confirm the presence of Truth in his life.

   We may be wondering if we are giving our best to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Well, we must bear in mind that as long as we live, we have the opportunity to give our best gifts to Jesus. We are well aware that Christmas Season is a gift-giving season, so before we give gifts to others, may we not forget that in all things, Jesus have the pre-eminence.