Give These Gifts

I love this time of year. Yes, it can be a busy, filled with extra tasks and extra social activities.  People get stressed – both believers and unbelievers.  As Christian women, I believe our Christmas season responsibility is to stir up an awareness of Jesus’ birth… we are to reflect His love, His mercy, His forgiveness, and His sacrifice. We set the tone of the holidays for many.  We have the opportunity to stir the hearts of others!

Let’s make it a Christmas goal each day of this special season of the year to ask God to help us extend “peace on earth and mercy mild” to those around us.  Peace and mercy are needed qualities during the month of December.  Where do we begin? 

Read the Christmas story in all four of the gospels each week in December.  Reacquaint yourself with the story of what we are celebrating.  It’s a story that is all the more special because we know that it ends in resurrection and an opportunity to accept forgiveness and mercy and a purpose for living, plus a future that is glorious and without end! I promise you that you will join Mary in singing praises… Luke 1:46-47 (ESV) And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Give the gift of peace. Matthew 5:9 (NLT) God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.   Daily, look for opportunities to share calmness, harmony, and tranquility. Use your abilities to reduce conflict and hostile attitudes in your home, your church, and in your community.  Remember that the only way you can live in such a way must begin with Jesus!  We can’t give the gift of peace without first experiencing it ourselves. Without Jesus there is no lasting, eternal peace. Peace during the Christmas celebration flows from our own personal time with Jesus. JESUS …. Isn’t that who we are celebrating this Christmas season?

Give the gift of mercy. Matthew 5:7 (NLT) God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Having personally received His mercy, we then share His mercy with others. The word Jesus uses for mercy is used to describe an attribute of God. God is said to be "rich in mercy." (Eph.2:4). 

You see mercy goes beyond sympathy to empathy. It is "love in action." When we give mercy, we find a way to help a person. You see mercy is an action, not a reaction.    Mercy cannot take place without forgiveness.  It’s one thing to say you forgive; it’s another to become actively involved in mercy.  Here is what mercy looks like:

   .. When I am merciful, I am patient with that unique person.

   .. When I am merciful, I forgive those who have fallen down…made a mistake…blundered.

 … When I am merciful, I help those who are hurting. Remember, mercy is practical assistance. It’s love in action. . Prov. 3:27- "Do not withhold good from those who need it, when it is in your power to act."

… Here is a fourth mark of mercy, and this is the hardest of all. When I am merciful, I’ll do good to my enemies….to those who hurt me or treat me badly. I’m talking tangible, concrete, real actions that are good for those who hurt me or treat me badly!

Giving gifts at Christmas is so much more than buying and wrapping items in a box!

Joyfully,

Yvonne