Merry Christmas!

As I’m sure your family did this morning, my family woke up on warm beds, ate hot breakfast, and watched kids open all their presents. There were over-abundance of gifts from mom, dad, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and friends.

On the one hand, I was extremely grateful for all our blessings, but on the other hand feeling somewhat guilty and even embarrassed by over-abundance of it. And also worried that our children will take all this for granted. Then came a sense of fear that God will judge us harshly if we were to take His blessings for granted and did not share with those who do not have a fraction of what we have. “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” Luke 12:48

What God desires is not our sacrifice. Sacrifice that is detached from the heart of thanksgiving, that is. What God truly wants is our heart to be filled with thanksgiving and our lives to show that it is so. Some preachers and writers have relegated thanksgiving as possibly selfish in that it is thanking God for the things He has given rather than who He is. But I think that’s splitting hair and it actually puts a damper on our heart of thanksgiving. When my children are happy and grateful for the things we have provided for them, we do not sit there ask, “Are you thanking us because we gave you stuff or because you really love us?” Often a heart of gratitude turns into a heart of love. But don’t listen to me. Listen to God:

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Ps. 50:14-15

So, rather than feeling guilty and embarrassed, I will give thanks to the Lord for all the blessings. And I will live my life to honor and lift Him up. I will not do so to “pay back” the favor. But I will do so to please the One how had been so good to me.

For God so loved the world He gave…

Receiving humbly is the heart of gratitude.

Receive the greatest gift in Jesus Christ and thank Him for it!

PH