What Gift Are You Giving Christ?

As we look at what the Bible tells us about the birth of Christ, we see there were several people who, whether they intended it or not, offered gifts to the newborn King. 

In Matthew 2 we see the Wise Men that travelled from afar to worship Christ. These men, had they continued to follow the star that was given to guide them, would likely have made it for his birth. (By order of Scripture, I believe they finally made it thirty-odd days later, but that is for another post.) They had preplanned to give Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

In Luke 2:7 we see the Innkeeper. He is not mentioned by name, only by decision. There was no room for Christ in the inn, so they were offered the barn. It was not a clean and sanitary place; our Saviour was brought into this world with the smell of animal dung in His nostrils. He was given, by proxy, the gift of animal excrement from the innkeeper.

Then in Luke 2:8 we are introduced to the shepherds. They were keeping watch over their flock, and were visited by angels to tell of the birth of Christ. The shepherds immediately responded and went to see the newborn King. But what did they give Him?

Simply put, they gave themselves. They not only came to see and worship Him, but then went out and started telling everyone what they saw.

As we remember Christs birth on this Christmas day, let us ask ourselves; are we giving Christ ourselves? Or are we merely giving Him gilded treasures? Or even worse, is getting nothing but the smelly leftovers from your life? What gift are you giving Him?

Kindle eBook Christmas Sale!

Kindle eBook Christmas Sale! From December 21st through December 27th "Sparks of Affection" and "Flames of Endearment" (Men of the Heart Books 2 & 3) will both be available at a discount price through a Kindle Countdown sale. Log in to my author page for these, and great deals on my other books.
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Joseph, Man of Honor

Joseph, Husband of Mary

Little is recorded in Scripture about Joseph. This is probably because God wanted us to focus on Jesus’ real father, God the Father. However, even with limited reference, he is a character that plays a distinctive role in the life of Christ, and is someone that we can learn from.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:18-25)

Key Characteristics.

1.      He was of Royal lineage. He was of the line of David. The genealogy in Matthew is based on the Solomonic line through Joseph, Jesus’ legal father, and it confirms Christ’s right to the throne of David. The genealogy in Luke is based on the lineage of Nathan, brother to Solomon and is the line to Mary, thus showing that Jesus had right to the throne from either ‘parent.’

2.      He was Responsible for his family. He had a job. This may seem laughable to some to focus on, but we will never be men of honor if we are deadbeats. There are too many men content to sit idle and draw public assistance, or worse yet, allow their wife to work and support the family.

3.      He was a Righteous man. The Bible records him as a “…just man…” (Matthew 1:19)

a.       Made worship in the Temple a priority. 80 mile trip, we know he made it at least twice.

b.      Made giving to God a priority. Didn’t use taxation as an excuse. Still made the required offering for the birth of a male child.

c.       Familiar with Scripture. Recognized OT Prophecy that the Angel spoke of.

d.      Responded immediately when God gave him direction. Three times.

4.      He was a Reasonable man. The Bible tells us he was… “… not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.” (Matthew 1:19) He did not respond in haste to the news that his intended was with child, but he “…he thought on these things…” (Matthew 1:20) He was not as concerned with vengeance as he was with doing the right thing, so he thought about what he was going to do before he did it.

5.      He was Reliable in service. There are four levels of service that we can engage in

a.       The first is Discipline; or serving because you have to. This is how we make our Children obey; it is a ‘do it or else’ mentality. If the only reason you are serving God is because you are afraid of judgment, you will never be a Man of Honor.

b.      The second level of service is Duty; or serving because you ought to; this is when you are serving because you know you should. However, this can often lead to struggles over what our duties entail. If the words “That’s not my job” ever come out of your mouth, you are not on the path that leads to being a Man of Honor. Jesus, talking to the disciples, said “…likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10)

c.       The third level is Debt, or serving because “I owe you…” While this is a slightly higher ideal than “I have to,” it is similar to duty, in that it denotes with it a grudging willingness based on an expectation. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he stated “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) he wanted them to understand that at the least it is reasonable for a Christian to give their lives to Christ, seeing as He gave His life for them. This is the highest level that most Christians attain, but it is not the highest one they could attain.

d.      The final level of service is Delight; or serving because you get to. It is in this mindset that we see Men like Joseph shine out above all others. They have, like the house of Stephanas, “…addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,” (I Corinthians 16:15) It is only if we can attain that level of dedication, that we have a chance to be Men of Honor.

6.      He Resigned himself to obscurity. He understood that it was not all about him, it was about Christ. He raised Jesus for God, prepared Him, literally, for His ministry. I believe that he fully understood, like John the Baptist who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

What have we learned?

1.      A Man of Honor is Righteous. (Philippians 3:9)

2.      A Man of Honor looks for opportunities to serve others.

3.      A Man of Honor considers a matter prayerfully before reacting.

4.      A Man of Honor does not seek vengeance, but seeks God’s will.

5.      A Man of Honor obeys the clear instructions of God.

6.      A Man of Honor is willing to let the focus be on Christ and not themselves.

What does it mean to be Thankful?



The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18) 

This is the time of year when everyone wants to say they are thankful. We plan  family meals, have special Church gatherings, maybe even give a little extra toward the needy… but the question we must ask ourselves is this:

Are we Thankful?

Or are we pretending?

Being thankful is an essential ingredient if the Christian is to be right with God. Thankfulness is a state of mind that we choose to have, where we are feeling gratitude for what we have been given. To be thankful means that you are grateful. 

(As an aside, you learn a lot when you study the origin of a word; grateful comes from the Latin word, gratus, and the English equivalent is the now unused term grate which means ‘thankful.’ I laughed at this, because I was thinking how many of us have said, “That person grates on my nerves…” I suppose that really means we are thankful for them.)

Other synonyms include gratitude, appreciation and indebtedness.

There are several things we should keep in mind when it comes to Thankfulness; the first is that it is an OBLIGATION: Christ has commanded us to be thankful. (Which, to be honest, is really sad when you really think about it; that He would have to command us to show appreciation for the things we have been given.) In other words, it is not an option; it is something that we must do because we are told to do it.

Many people today have an entitlement mentality; they get to the point where they think that life is all about them, and that they deserve everything they get, (and for that matter, deserve all the things they aren't getting…) To make this simple, let me explain this as succinctly as possible.

You don’t deserve anything.

Thankfulness is not an old fashioned concept, and it is not overburdening; it is simply a way of showing your appreciation for the things you have been given.

The second thing we should remember is that Thankfulness is an OPPORTUNITY: it is an opportunity to be a blessing to others… when others supply something to us, it is right that we should supply something to them; Thankfulness is the perfect response for a gift given.

We will not always be able to recompense someone in kind for things they do for us, but showing Thankfulness is the biggest blessing that we can give someone.

There will be times in the life of a Christian where we are not in a position that is, in our opinion, ideal; however, that should not have an influence on whether we are thankful.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18) Paul wrote this verse after leaving Thessalonica due to intense persecution.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Philippians 4:11) He wrote this verse from Prison!

Neither of these were ideal situations, but he found a way to be thankful despite the difficult times.

The thing we must remember is that God will not make us thankful; you cannot pray and say, “God, make me thankful!” because the answer will always be no. If we are thankful, it is because we CHOOSE to be thankful to honor Him. The key to choosing is found in (Philippians 4:11) where Paul said, “…I have learned…”

Have you?