Have you ever struggled with what to give for Christmas?

Maybe you are struggling financially and you can't afford to get gifts for people. So many people are stressed this season, but it's not about the "stuff". Be careful of the commercialism of Christmas.

How can you give from the heart? In John 3:16, we learned that God's love led Him to give His Son. He gave BECAUSE He loved. What's most important about your gift is what's in your heart. Are you giving out of love?

For some of us, especially those struggling financially, the best things we can give is time, a warm meal, a bed to sleep in, or a roof over the heads of our loved ones, but there are three major things we should give this Christmas.

  1. Give God Your Heart - Proverbs 23:26 - God gave His Son, His Son gave His life, and the best things you can give Him is your life as a living sacrifice. Today you can make a conscious decision to give YOURSELF to Jesus in gratitude for God's gift of His Son, Jesus.  
    • This life is a beautiful gift, but the next life - if you have received the gift of Jesus - will be a much better life!! Revelation 21:1-5 tells us all about it. 
  2. Give Your Love to Others - John 13:34-35 - The scripture tells us that the World will know us by the way that we love one another. The way we love other people shows how we submit to, love, and live for God. If we are unable to love others well, through conflict and disagreements, it shows that we were unable to give God our entire heart!
    • Small acts of love have a big impact! Jesus would do miracles and after He did it, He would tell people not to tell others about what He did. Do you tend to do things so that others see it, like it, and praise you? Jesus told the people NOT to talk about it. 
  3. Give Your Resources to Bless Others - God didn't bless us to keep it for ourselves. God has given us resources to be a blessing. It is a blessing to give! Those who come back to thank us and praise us, give us encouragement that we can turn around and give right back to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says God loves a cheerful giver. 
    • When you give from your abundance, that's obedience and a blessing, but when you give even when you barely have anything to give, God is pleased! (Read Mark 12 about the woman who gave the little she had.)
    • The Lord wants us to give from the heart, not so that we can receive blessings as a result. Give from your heart, not because you've been pressured to give. 

God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others - a gift of materials, a financial gift, a gift of time, a gift of your talent, of service - all from your heart because you know it's the right thing to do. We don't give so that we can receive, we do it because we know the Lord asks us to.