I cannot put off Christmas shopping

I am going to the mall tonight.  I have put it off long enough, I cannot do any more online shopping, stores won’t deliver in time for me to get the presents anyways.  So, I will go to the mall to get presents that aren’t perfect but fulfill the social norm of demonstrating love to others.  I just hope that the people that get the gifts know that I tried to find something perfect.

I think that is why I have put this off for so long.  I want the gift to be perfect.  Something that they can use, something that I can encourage them with, and something that they will be excited to receive.  Unfortunately, I have no control over their response.

If I had control over their response then everything would be great, I would get the squealing excitement and the genuine look of joy in their eyes with the heartfelt thanks.  I don’t have control though, I have my purposeful gift, my intentional hunt, and my focused love.  The gifts I give come from my heart to their perceived need.

Throughout the history of the world gifts have been given, sometimes with much thought, others with more sarcasm or disregard, still more to garner favor or from people forced to give them.  These gifts had a secondary purpose, a purpose to gain an advantage of some time over others.  The purpose was not for the benefit of others, rather it was for the giver’s benefit.

There has been one gift given throughout all of history with no strings attached, with no secondary purposes.  The gift of salvation.  Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--9 not by works, so that no one can boast.10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The gift of God is salvation, accomplished by His work, not our own.  This is the gift we have been given, a gift that we have done nothing to deserve, a part of what God has given us.  He also gave us life and the opportunity to do good, it is now time for our response.  We have a choice of how we will respond to the gift offered to us.

We have been offered a gift that we did not know we needed, but it was the perfect gift for us given at just the right time and in just the right way.  Now, how will we respond?  Will you accept the gift of salvation? Will your heart be transformed to do good?

May this Christmas season remind you of all God has done for you in the gift He gave you and that your response to that gift gives Him great joy.