A Birthday Gift for Jesus
Have you ever wondered why that we celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas; yet, we give gifts to one another instead of Him? Is there a way to offer a gift to Jesus on His special day? We think of the many gifts that He has given to us. The Father gave the greatest gift when He gave to the world His “only Begotten Son”. Why did He do that? …Because He so loved the world; He loved mankind (Jn. 3:16). Through His Son, He gave to us eternal life (the life and nature of God which is the new birth). He gave the Holy Ghost; the gift of righteousness; the gifts of the Spirit; healing; provision; peace; an eternal home in heaven; and we could continue to list His gifts forever. In fact, we read in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…”
We could never fully express our appreciation to our great God for all that He has done, but we can sure try. Let us worship Him and give Him thanks. Let us all present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service (Rom. 12:1). We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19&20, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” What gift does the Lord desire of us? …Our everything. We offer to Him what is already His. I don’t ask if I feel like it or even want to give Him my all. …Because I am born again, my spirit man must demand my body to get in line with the Word of God and obey His leading.
James 1:27 (Amp.) says, “Pure and unblemished religion [as it is expressed in outward acts] in the sight of our God and Father is this; to visit and look after the fatherless and the widows in their distress, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the [secular] world.” Pure religion will lead to a life of practical benevolence; to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction – to go see, to look after, to be ready to aid them. This is an imitation of God, who is “a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows in his holy habitation” (Ps. 68:5); and who has always revealed himself as their friend. Deuteronomy 10:18&19, “He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love Ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” We read in Ephesians 2:19 (Amp.), “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens [outsiders without rights of citizenship], but you are fellow citizens with the saints (God’s people), and are [members] of God’s household…”
Jesus said, “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Mt. 25:42-46). Our works do not redeem but reveal that we are redeemed. Neglecting the duties of charity, they show that they have not his spirit and are not like him.
Let us minister unto Jesus by ministering to those that He loves. If you have not taken the opportunity to give to our single moms and their children this Christmas season, this is your opportunity. Let us know that as we give, we are giving gifts to Him. Please help me to minister to the orphans and the widows. Remember the widows are not only those that has a mate that is deceased, but it is the woman that has had her husband to walk away. We have already ministered to 19 families and still have several families that we desire to give to. Thank you for giving a gift to Jesus by giving to a single mom and her children.