Christmas Gifts

Christmas morning was special when I was a boy. My brother Barry and I would get out of bed early and go into the living room before our brothers and sisters woke up. Under our decorated Christmas tree were huge piles of gifts for the eight children in our family. There were presents labeled, “From Santa”, purchased by our parents, and also presents from our grandparents, from our aunt and uncle, and from our godparents.

Christmas was a big deal in our house. There were new bicycles, toys and games when we were young. As we got older, clothes, books, fragrances and real guns were under our tree, along with presents we started buying for our parents and each other.

Gifts can express our love and they are celebrated throughout the Bible. Jesus and his family were given gifts by the Maji to celebrate his birth. The gold they received helped Joseph and Mary escape to Egypt with Jesus and live there until King Herod died. The frankincense and myrrh added fragrance and comfort to their lives.
In Matthew 7:11 Jesus said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.” Our Father in heaven delights in giving good gifts to his children. These include natural provision and supernatural grace to enable us to be fruitful in life.

We are encouraged to eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit (I Corinthians 14:1), which enable us to build up the body of Christ. With the gifts of the Spirit we can prophesy, bring healing to the sick and do miracles in Jesus’ name. It sounds audacious to say such things, but those are all gifts the Spirit gives to regular believers according to his will.

There are many sacrifices believers make to faithfully follow the Lord. The gifts of the Spirit are rewards God gives us that can add great value by making us supernaturally effective as we serve Jesus. If you are frustrated by a lack of progress in ministry, it may be because the Lord wants you to depend on the gifts of the Spirit and not simply on your own understanding of ministry.

In early December, I played golf at the Indian Valley course in Novato, California, while on a ministry trip. I joined a threesome that I met on the first tee early in the morning. I was hoping to play well and share Christ with the men. However, I soon was grumpy because I wasn’t playing well. On the back nine, I noticed a smiling little Santa Claus decorating an elevator that was ferrying me and my clubs up a hill.  Earlier I had seen tiny green Christmas trees on fences by tee boxes as well as bright little angels placed around the course.

As I pondered these decorations, I wondered, “What does a Santa Claus and a Christmas tree have to do with the birth of Jesus?”
I thought of the angel’s proclamation 2,000 years ago: “Do not be afraid. I bring you news of a great joy that will be for all the people.” The Lord was speaking to me, “Why are you grumpy? I have given you good news of great joy!”

Somebody was sharing the love of Jesus by placing these decorations around the course. Their bright colors radiated the joy of Christ. I had been ignoring the decorations in my frustration. “But Lord, I want to play great so I can show these guys how great you are!”

I always want to make wise choices, be successful, be victorious and show people how the blessing of God enriches my life.

Unfortunately, my life often doesn’t go that way. As I explained to one of my playing partners that morning, “I’m a Romans 7 golfer.”
“What’s that?” he wanted to know.

I told him, “Romans 7 says, The good I want to do, I do not do. The evil I do not want to do, that’s what I do.”

Most golfers understand that paradox. We stand on the first tee and say in our hearts that we want to relax, swing in rhythm and keep the ball in the fairway. By the third hole, we are swinging too fast and slicing the ball into the rough. The more frustrated we get, the harder we swing and the worse we do. The next time we play, it’s “rinse and repeat.”

If golf were the only time I behaved like that, it would be no big deal. Golf is a metaphor for life. I told myself to avoid negative political talk and then opened my mouth in an attempt to be honest and out came negativity.

I told myself before going to bed that I planned to eat less the next day and yet the next night, I did the very thing I planned not to do. I was living out Romans 7.

After a morning spending more time reading discouraging news than reading my Bible, I committed to read the Word before getting into the news; however, by the next week, I was once again reading the news first and my Bible was in second place.

In the lives of some mature friends, I have seen that there is a way other than triumphant success in which to show the goodness of God. They are so secure in God’s love that they can lose a game without losing their joy. They can make poor decisions without berating themselves. They can learn from their mistakes and still remain in God’s love. People who are that secure in God’s love reveal the true nature of Christ to me. I don’t want to lose, but I do want to be more like them.

That approach to our human condition takes grace and brings peace. Grace is the power to change our lives and peace is God’s presence resting on us. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he came to bring peace on earth to men upon whom his favor rests. This is one of his great gifts to those who trust him.

Speaking of gifts, Kristina recently ran in a 1K race called the Donor Dash. It is an annual benefit for organ donors and recipients that is run alongside the Kiwanis Park. It may be the smallest race in Arizona, but she came in second place in her age group. Afterwards she told me, “I would have come in first place, but I stopped to talk with a guy who was fishing in the lake.”

Not everyone has my approach to competition. Some people just enjoy being in the race. That too is a gift.