Christmas Day is quickly approaching! I love the Christmas holidays…cold weather, snow (sometimes), lights, music, trees, and yes, presents. Who doesn’t like presents? I have gotten some really great gifts for Christmas in the years past. I can remember my first bike. It was a blue frame Huffy bike with yellow rims. I can even remember my first stereo. It was a Sony with a double tape deck, and it had detachable speakers. As we are all swamped with gifts, shopping, family, and friends, I want us to remember the real reason that we celebrate Christmas.
Micah 5:2-5a
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. 3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth to her son. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. 4 And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD's strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored all around the world. 5 And he will be the source of our peace.
(New Living Translation)
Micah was a prophet whose prophesies promised both judgment and deliverance for Israel. In earlier chapters he tells Israel that God will bring punishment upon them because they do not honor God in their heart or with their life. God does not even accept their sacrifices anymore! Then, you have this passage. Here, when things seem so dark and hopeless, Micah gives the nation of Israel a little ray of hope to hold on to. God’s kingdom will not completely pass away, but will actually reach newer and greater heights through the coming Messiah. This Messiah will be born in a small town called Bethlehem. We see the fulfillment of this prophecy in Matthew 1 and Luke 2. The birth of Christ renewed the hope of Israel and restored life and vitality to the people of God. Through Jesus Christ, we too live with an unfailing hope in our eternal future with our Lord God.
Jesus truly is the greatest gift that we have ever received. My mom used to always tell me that Christmas is more about giving than receiving. I never understood why moms and dads would torture kids with that great little one-liner. Until now! Now, I have my own kids and I find myself saying the same thing. But today, on this blog, it is about what you have received. I want to hear from you. Take a moment and share with me (aside from Christ), “What is one of the greatest gifts you have ever received?” I’ll start…
Even though it was December 28th, one of the greatest gifts I have ever received was my wife. We will be married eleven years this year, and she truly is my best friend. I have never met anyone with such a patient, caring, and self-sacrificing attitude. She has put up with so much due to my little “quirks” and “inconsistencies.” Why she continues to put up with me I will never know. But I am, and will be, forever grateful that she said, “Yes,” and that she continues to help me grow into the husband and father that I long to be. (I can write all of this about her because she doesn’t read this blog!)
Your turn! “What is one of the greatest gifts you have ever received?” Blessings…
Micah 5:2-5a
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. 3 The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth to her son. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. 4 And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD's strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored all around the world. 5 And he will be the source of our peace.
(New Living Translation)
Micah was a prophet whose prophesies promised both judgment and deliverance for Israel. In earlier chapters he tells Israel that God will bring punishment upon them because they do not honor God in their heart or with their life. God does not even accept their sacrifices anymore! Then, you have this passage. Here, when things seem so dark and hopeless, Micah gives the nation of Israel a little ray of hope to hold on to. God’s kingdom will not completely pass away, but will actually reach newer and greater heights through the coming Messiah. This Messiah will be born in a small town called Bethlehem. We see the fulfillment of this prophecy in Matthew 1 and Luke 2. The birth of Christ renewed the hope of Israel and restored life and vitality to the people of God. Through Jesus Christ, we too live with an unfailing hope in our eternal future with our Lord God.
Jesus truly is the greatest gift that we have ever received. My mom used to always tell me that Christmas is more about giving than receiving. I never understood why moms and dads would torture kids with that great little one-liner. Until now! Now, I have my own kids and I find myself saying the same thing. But today, on this blog, it is about what you have received. I want to hear from you. Take a moment and share with me (aside from Christ), “What is one of the greatest gifts you have ever received?” I’ll start…
Even though it was December 28th, one of the greatest gifts I have ever received was my wife. We will be married eleven years this year, and she truly is my best friend. I have never met anyone with such a patient, caring, and self-sacrificing attitude. She has put up with so much due to my little “quirks” and “inconsistencies.” Why she continues to put up with me I will never know. But I am, and will be, forever grateful that she said, “Yes,” and that she continues to help me grow into the husband and father that I long to be. (I can write all of this about her because she doesn’t read this blog!)
Your turn! “What is one of the greatest gifts you have ever received?” Blessings…
3 comments:
O.K--- let me be the first to say that your 'best present' is sappy and obviously intended to illicit strong amorous feelings from your wife. Your secret intent is obviously to send your wife once again to Academy or BassPro for a little more substantial gift than she originally planned.
I SHOULD say that the best gift I ever received is when Cindy said "yes" to marrying me when I asked the question on one fateful Christmas eve, however the BEST gift was a pony when I was about 11 or 12. I got rid of the pony eventually, but I still have the wife--- "the gift that keeps on giving"!!!
No really, I can't keep up the charade, the best gift I received was truly when she said yes.
The second best gift was getting to bring home our first child at 1:00 in the morning on Christmas Day. She was born on the 19th with a serious, but temporary medical condition that required a significant stay in the nursery. We were initially told that she would be there through Christmas, however at 8:00pm on Christmas eve, we received a call to "come and get our baby". We dropped what were were doing and rushed to Presbyterian and picked her up--- trumps a pony any time!!!
First of all, you guys are saps! Seriously....wait until I talk to your wives!
As for the best gift, I don't know that I can think of one that stood out more than another. I have never put much value in to gifts. I learned somewhere along the way that "things" vanish quickly and never last as long as we hope. I remember the stereos, tvs and phones that I received as a kid, lots of dolls and games too. I also remember giving gifts. My favorite gift we gave was when Dad bought Mom her FIRST microwave! It was huge! Nothing like the ones we have now. It had so many buttons and functions. It took two of us to carry it in. Life was never the same after that microwave! It was great seeing the surprise on my mom's face. Another favorite memory has been being my dad's "elf" during the holidays. I always knew what special gift he would get Mom and I would get to wrap it for him. I liked being in on the secret.
I would say that truly the best gifts I have received have been the memories of family during the season. Even with the occasional "tiff" between family members, sharing the time with those I don't see often enough and with my own little family means more to me than any gift. Second to that would be my camera....that I use to record all those memories. In case you plan to tell Mike I don't need gifts....forget it. I still "want" things....gifts are good, but they will never replace the memories...especially those of family that are no longer with us. (You can also tell him I need a video camera....that's next on my list!)
Merry Christmas!
My favorite and most memorable Christmas gift was when I was 5 year old. I wanted to be a cowboy really badly. So I asked for a cowboy outfit from Santa. I was so happy to see my 2 holster belt, 10 gallon hat, six shooters and of course the genuine metal badge!
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