This time of year our thoughts naturally go to gift giving. I have to admit something. I am not very good at giving gifts. I’ve noticed about myself that I enjoy giving when I know there is something in particular that will help or bless a person especially when they aren’t expecting it. That rules out Christmas and birthdays. These occasions make me feel a bit as if I am buying something just for the sake of buying something because it is the expected thing to do. Some years I am more on top of it and have been thinking about gift giving all year so I enter the season/occasion prepared to bless others but other years, like this one, every gift-giving occasion leaves me feeling stumped about what to give.
How thankful I am that my gift giving abilities or lack of them has nothing to do with my salvation. Ridiculous you say? Why would I even make such a silly connection? Of course my ability to give gifts does not factor into my salvation. It seems like a no brainer but how often when I evaluate my life do I think about my many failures with self-condemnation and look more to my improvement than Christ’s merits? After all at it’s root my dilemma with gift giving points to a heart that is not thinking of others first, not having a generous heart like God’s, and caring more about what others think of me than what God thinks of me.
That’s just it, behind every little tendency and deficiency in my life there is sin. I begin to feel the weight of it. Honey Out Of The Rock has this encouragement for me:
“You complain much of yourself. Does your sin make you look more at Christ, less at yourself? That is right, or else complaining is but hypocrisy. To be looking at duties, graces, enlargements, when you should be looking at Christ, that is pitiful. Looking at them will make you proud; looking at Christ’s grace will only make you humble. By grace you are saved (Eph 2:5). In all your temptations be not discouraged (James 1:2). Those scourges may be not to break you, but to heave you off yourself upon the Rock, Christ.”
Gift giving is just one small area of my life but I use it as example of how easily we can get our eyes off the gospel. Here is more encouragement from Honey out of the Rock:
"When we come to God, we must bring nothing but Christ with us. Any ingredients, or any previous qualifications of our own, will poison and corrupt faith. He that builds upon duties, graces, etc., knows not the merits of Christ. This makes believing so hard, so far above nature. If you believe, you must every day renounce, as dung and dross (Phil 3:7,8), your privileges, your obedience, your baptism, your sanctification, your duties, your graces, your tears, your meltings, your humblings, and nothing but Christ must be held up. Every day your workings and your self-sufficiency must be destroyed. You must take all out of God’s hand. Christ is the gift of God (John 4:10). Faith is the gift of God (Eph 2:8). Pardon is a free gift (Isa 45:22). Ah, how nature storms, frets, rages at this, that all is of gift and it can purchase nothing with its acting and tears and duties, that all workings are excluded, and of no value in heaven."
Those words are a GIFT to my soul.
May this season have us pondering God’s wonderful gift to us – Jesus - even in the midst of figuring out what to give Aunt Mabel. May our words and actions reflect our Savior this season but may that only come as a result of reflecting on the gospel.
PS: Can I do a PS on a blog? I guess I can if I want to and I do. Here is a gift to you. I was tremendously blessed by the sermon our pastor preached last Sunday on the gospel. It is well worth listening to and will give you fresh motivation to live a gospel centered life and help to apply the gospel in every situation. You can listen to it here.
Comments
Dec. 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Mary
Thanks again, Joy. I was freshly reminded yesterday of a conversation I had with you last Christmas. I was talking with my friend about how Christmas is always a harder time for me; and we began talking about expectations we place upon ourselves to make these great Christmas memories; much like giving the perfect gift. Then I remembered you and I had a similar conversation last year, which was so helpful. Anyway, to relate it to the gospel and how this has no bearing on our salvation, etc... just clarified it more for me. The question Wilcox poses Does your sin make you look more at Christ, less at yourself? is very convicting to me; especially during this season when there is greater temptation to compare to others and look at my shortcomings. Christ, our perfect righteousness is the only place to look. This is life-giving and joy-producing!!! I have hope that this Christmas season can be different!! Thanks again!!