After Giving Thanks
Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Hopefully you took extra time during the recent Thanksgiving holiday to praise God and thank Him for all He has provided. We can never thank Him enough for all He is, all He does and all He provides. Everything good in our lives comes from Him:
- James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
But with Thanksgiving behind us we turn our attention to Christmas. We celebrate the gift of Christ’s birth by giving gifts to one another. But of all the gifts we can give, what is most important?
Give yourself!
- Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Give yourself completely to Jesus Christ and then He can use you to:
- Share the Gospel:
- Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (see also 2 Corinthians 4:5-11).
- Care for those in Need:
- James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (see also Matthew 25:34-40).
- And so much more:
- Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (see also Philippians 4:13).
Way too often we focus on what we get. Everything is worth nothing without Christ!
- Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
When we give ourselves to Christ, He blesses us so we can bless others. We should be putting others ahead of ourselves.
- Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
So, after giving thanks, give yourself to Christ and to others!
Prayer
Dear Lord, I pray that I truly surrender all that I am to You. Use me as You see fit to share the Gospel message, to bless others, or for whatever purposes You desire. May all that call themselves Christians surrender to Your Lordship. Please help the church make Christmas about Christ. In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
