All I wanted was a large jar of whole dill pickles! Ha! I loved pickles that much and still do.
To my grand delight, it was under the tree that year! My mouth is watering just reminiscing about it.
One would think that a massive jar of pickles, for such a little girl, would last a long time but it was empty within a week.
What had once satisfied me also left me empty and wanting more.
Have you ever received a gift you thought would fulfill your desire, but instead, it left you feeling empty?
I want to encourage us this year to fix our hearts and minds on the gift of Christ.
It’s a gift that will never leave us empty but is soul-satisfying for eternity.
It is a gift God thought of offering to us long ago. He put a lot of thought in how He could best demonstrate His love for us, and it is the gift that keeps on giving.
There are so many unique attributes regarding the gift of Christ, but allow me to offer just three of them here.
- The gift of Christ came in a surprising package:
Who would have thought a king would appear as an ordinary person?
He was delivered in humble wrappings and placed in a lowly position (Luke 2:7) (Philippians 2:6-7a).
- Â The gift of Christ is Glorifying:
Could it be that the reason so many gifts that catch our eye do not satisfy us is that they fail to meet our most basic need? At our core, we were created to glorify God.
It’s all to the Glory of God, and even the angels and shepherds praised and glorified God for what He had done (Philippians 2:8-11) (Luke 2:9-10).
- The gift of Christ is Sanctifying:
Often, we want gifts that make us feel better, look better, or improve our self-image. Eventually, these all lose their luster. Christ came that we would first have a relationship with Him so that we would grow to become exactly like Him.
What we have been given sets us apart.
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.” (John 17: 17-19 NASB)
On one level, we all want to become more beautiful, healthier, and have it all. But, isn’t it wonderful that in God’s Son we find the right way to be made perfect in His image? The more we become like Christ, the more satisfying this life on earth will be.
Christmas is not about the gifts we give or receive. It’s not about family gatherings or festive parties. Christmas is about the gift God gave us through His Son, Jesus.
If you are finding that this time of year continues to leave you feeling empty, then I suggest that you seek the greatest fulfillment this life can offer, a relationship with Christ.
He was born, died, and raised from the dead so that whoever believes in Him may have life forever to its fullest.
A quote from Lee Strobel sums it up this way:
“I think there’s a faith formula in that verse: believe plus receive equals become. So I think believing’s important, having intellectual agreement with Christian doctrine is important, but there has to be a time when we receive God’s gift of grace – not that we’ve earned it or merit it or deserve it – but receive this free gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased on the cross for us.”
I did not know as a little girl with my empty pickle jar that there was much more to life. But I now know Jesus, the giver of the soul-satisfying gift for this life and eternity.
This post first appeared on www.ContagiousJoy4Him.com. I highly recommend that you share the Contagious Joy 4 Him ministry with your Pastor’s wife. It’s a ministry for ministry wives and is life-giving.
