Advent - Day 22 - Perfect Gift-Giving

I have chosen a different devotional for the remainder of Advent. It is rich.
It is titled "Every Good Gift" and is written fully by Compassion Canada
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It is probably safe to say that the world around you has been thinking about, purchasing, wrapping, and giving gifts to one another. 'Tis the season, right? Christmas is a time of gift-giving. Often, we approach this season guarding our hearts from materialism and bolstering ourselves to not miss the true reason for the season in the hustle and bustle. But perhaps this Christmas we can use the hustle and bustle around us to remind us of two precious truths:

Gifts are an expression of love

and

God is a gift-giver.

Certainly, gift-giving can get out of hand at this time of year. Stress and delivery dates, budgets, expectations, and shopping trips can all drain the joy out of gift-giving. But, if we take a moment to truly think about why we give gifts, we can see that it is an expression of love for those in our lives. At the very least, it is acknowledging one another through an act of generosity. When we realize the incredible power of gifts to express love to others, it can inspire joy in the practice once again.

Not only are gifts an expression of our love, but they can also be a way to reflect the heart of God to others. God Himself is a gift-giver. In fact, that is what Christmas celebrates. God gave lavishly to the world when He gave us Jesus. All through this Advent season we have been unwrapping the good gifts that God gave us in Jesus—gifts such as hope, peace and joy. We have also taken time to consider how we can give those gifts to others. Why? Because if we want to reflect the heart of God in the world, we have to love like Him.

James 1:17 tells us where every good gift truly comes from: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

... As we get nearer to Christmas Day, let’s remember that a gift expresses love and reflects the heart of God to others. It can be more than a present. It can be a reminder of God’s love in a broken world.

Prayer:

God, 

        Thank You for Your good and perfect gifts in my life. In this moment, I pause and remember the greatest gift of all—Jesus. May I remember that You gave Your Son because You loved me. Help me to reframe my thinking this Christmas to see gift-giving as a way of reflecting Your love to the world around me. Show me the gifts You would have me give in order to love people well. Amen.