Every Good Gift: A 28-Day Advent DevotionalSample

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.”

When children like 11-year-old Geovane begin to attend the Compassion program, their everyday lives aren't the only thing that is impacted. The meaning of Christmas is also transformed for them. Geovane lives with his mom, dad and five other siblings in Casserengue, Brazil. His parents struggle to earn enough to support their family and this means that Christmas is a meagre celebration in their household, often with no gifts. But when Geovane and two of his brothers were registered at the Compassion program in their local church, they learned about the true meaning of a gift and experienced the love of God through the love of their sponsor. The generosity of his sponsor and the time that the Compassion staff invested in delivering his Christmas gift and the good news was how Geovane came to know that the greatest gift someone could desire was already given to them: Jesus. That's the reason why a Christmas gift can be so important. It's not just a present, it's a reminder that every child is important and loved by God.

"I love my new school bag. Before, we had nothing to carry our stuff. Now we do! Our family is big and we never could buy anything like we have now. I'm really grateful, not just for my present, but because I can feel God's love through all these things and remember He uses different people to show His love," shared Geovane.

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.