What can I give….?. If you are like me, the last week has been consumed to some extent with the contemplating, locating, selecting, purchasing and wrapping of an assortment of gifts. Most an expression of love for someone in your life. Many a reminder of the great love-gift your share in the person of Jesus Christ. Some a gift for the Lord Himself, a token of your gratitude for His abundance.
And that is where I would like to linger for just a few moments with you today. What are you giving to the Lord this Christmas season? I am not even talking about financial contributions to a love offering at church, or other year-end worthy causes. I am not talking about giving of any of your resources, no matter the worthiness of the cause. I am referring to giving of yourself. Giving your heart with all your heart. Here is how the Lord brought this revelation to me today.
A few weeks back, I decided to use a child solo in the Christmas Eve service. I prayed about who should sing this song. A week or so ago, I felt the Lord leading me to have Samuel sing it. I approached him with the idea, and he immediately said yes. [Samuel actually enjoys singing.] In the days that followed, he began to have second thoughts, really stemming more from his growing tiredness from all the holiday festivities than anything else.
With time however, he slowly began to be more firm in his unwillingness to sing. It grew to the point that I was beginning to think of asking someone else, simply because I wanted it to be offered as a gift to the Lord, with no compulsion or reluctance. But I really felt that the Lord was in this whole situation. Then, this morning.
I put the CD on again on the way to school. Samuel opened the book and began to sing along. At the end, he asked if we could hear it again. My heart leaped at the apparent change of heart. At the end of the second time, he looked up and said, “I do want to sing this song Dad.” I was so blessed, I almost cried right there. Big surprise.
What the Lord showed me in that moment of sheer joy, was something of His heart. When we surrender to what our Father wishes, it is a blessing to Him that is possibly impossible for us to understand. When my son said he would do what I asked, I was so blessed. The real blessing was that he had wrestled through his feelings and uncertainty and had come to the place of surrender. He will sing with his whole heart on Christmas Eve. I will be blessed. But so will he.
See, that is one of the amazing things about God’s will. It brings Him glory, while at the same time being for our good. Samuel will be blessed, in and through his obedience to God and to me. So where is the lesson for you.
What has God been leading you to do or say to which you have said, “No”? Or maybe you first said “Yes”, but are living more like “No” right now. Give Him your heart in this matter, and in everything, and watch the blessing that will flow from that place of surrender.
You may feel like you do not have much to offer the King. But to the extent that this you feel that way, you have been deceived; either by yourself, or the enemy of your soul. After all, you have your heart, the core of all that you are, and that is of inestimable value to God. I think Christina Rosetti put it nicely when she said:
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him; give my heart.
In comparison to the riches of heaven, even the wealthiest of us have little. We are “poor” as she puts it. Yet, we can give to Jesus what we only have one of, our heart. Give Him your heart this Christmas. After all, He gave you His everything.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
In Christ,
Pastor Scott
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