The Christmas season is the occasion of making gifts one to another, but the richest gifts Christ has given to the world in Himself, that the world through Him might not perish but have eternal life. Gifts and offerings should be brought to Christ. The most precious gift of all is that of giving Him your heart without any reserve. How acceptable to Christ would be such an offering! Give to Jesus your whole heart, for Him to write His image and superscription upon it, and to send His beams of righteousness into it to be sent to the world through the living agent.
The message of mercy Jesus brought from the Father was to save the perishing. The Father collected the riches of the universe, laid open the resources of His infinite wisdom, and gave all into the hands of Christ to give to men. What more could God do to convince men there is no love but the love of God revealed in His Son? The happiness of man consists in loving God and in keeping His commandments, giving the best and most holy affections to Jesus Christ.
We should be filled with thanksgiving that Jesus came to reveal the Father. He rolled back the cloud of thick darkness, the hellish shadow of Satan which intercepted between man and God, and revealed Him to the world as light and love. He stands before the world as the representation of the Father. “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” He was the express image of His person. The perfections of God are seen in the excellencies of Christ. His divinity was clothed with humanity, that He might speak to the human heart and place His divine impress upon the soul.
When Christ was born and laid in a manger there was a wonderful movement in heaven. All the worlds that were created through Jesus Christ were watching with intense interest His reception in the world. They saw that no preparation had been made among His nation to receive Him, and angels of heaven came to the plains of Bethlehem and proclaimed the advent of the world’s Redeemer. The plains of Bethlehem were peopled with the heavenly host, who sang anthems of praise to His glory.
The wise men from the east were guided by the heavenly angels, which appeared to them as a luminous star, and when they found Jesus they brought unto Him costly offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But the enemy has misplaced and turned into various channels in selfish gratification the offerings which should come to the Lord’s treasury. Means are being diverted from the true purpose God designed, and, from the lesser up to the extravagant gifts, they flow to finite beings, to gratify selfish indulgence. If all the rivulets from children and youth and from members of the church were to flow in the proper channel, as the Lord designed they should, there would be a supply in the treasury, the real needy would be blessed, and the hungry fed, and the naked clothed. The Lord’s own entrusted gifts would flow back to their original Source in thank offerings, in sin offerings, in trespass offerings, and in gratitude offering for the great immeasurable gift of the Son of God to our world.
Why are children and those of mature age educated to put their inventive powers to work to contrive gifts for one another, while the Lord God of heaven, who has made the gift of Himself to the world in His only begotten Son, is left out of the question? How the Lord is dishonored in the celebration of Christmas! How He is robbed, both of talents of means and of thanksgiving and praise which should well up in every heart and flow forth from every voice! Let the thank offerings come in, small and large; let God’s treasury be well filled.
Jesus is the Gift to the world, and everything should be conducted in this channel—to make known Christ to the world, to send to every tongue and nation the knowledge of His salvation, His invitations of mercy, His adorable love. But the devil’s work is to intercept the rays of light coming from the Father to our world and set them to flowing in human channels, to indulge and gratify earthly desires, to please the vanity and to glorify the creature rather than the Creator. ......
All, both young and old, should practice economy and lay by something wherewith they can do something for the cause and work of God; for this is obligatory upon them; the Lord will not excuse them if they devote the means the Lord has entrusted to them to advance His cause and His work in self-pleasing, or in making Christmas presents to their relations and friends. Every exertion is to be made to present to the Lord our thank offerings and our gifts of the great gift He has made to the world in sending Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The gifts and offerings which ought to find their way into the Lord’s treasury have been diverted into human channels. A change should be made in our customs, habits, and practices in this direction, especially Christmas gifts should be made to Him who has made such infinite sacrifice to save fallen man. Professed Christians have been asleep as far as showing their obligations to God, who has purchased them at so great a cost to Himself, even His only Son. Well, think how must the Father, the world’s Redeemer, and the heavenly angels look down upon human inconsistencies—our offerings and gifts bestowed upon relations and human friends, who will not return one dollar of the same to aid in advancing the truth and building up the cause of God in our world.
Custom and practices must change, inclinations and feelings must be of a different character in the future, if God is to be glorified. If all these little rills were set flowing into the treasury of God, there would be a reservoir that would flow into consecrated channels. Saith God, “Them that honor Me, will I honor.” If we honor human friends, because we have considered this is the channel that our gifts and offerings and entrusted talents should flow into, we meet with loss every time, for we will receive no reward; we do not lay up our treasure in the heavens in bags that wax old.
Every one should make God and His cause their first consideration, as Christ was given to our world to die a cruel death to save perishing souls, to those who are made free by the gift of God’s dear Son. He paid the price of His own blood and suffering to secure our willing service and co-operation in being laborers together with God to put into use every talent to be employed in the saving of souls for whom Christ has died. He has committed to us trusts. Do we feel all we possess as a loan from Christ? That the food provided for our sustenance is alone all that we can claim, or is granted us through Jesus Christ? He has made us stewards of His grace, custodians of the Master’s goods, and the lowliest talents, the humblest service, may become a consecrated gift if exercised and employed with the high aim of doing our Master’s service and promoting His glory. The more learning, of talents and of money, instead of releasing us of obligations only increases and intensifies our responsibilities. The question is not, What have I of the Lord’s? but, What am I doing with what He has graciously entrusted to my stewardship? All we have is the Lord’s, He has purchased us, soul, body and spirit; our time, our gifts, and offerings are to be laid on God’s altar. Human inclinations and desires are not to control in this matter; and if heart, soul, body, and life were consecrated to God [and], with all the goods He has entrusted us with, were laid at His feet as consecrated gifts, they would be acceptable and accomplish much good.
O! how much robbery has been committed against God by the human calculation of misused goods! Christ the great Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep; he calleth them all by name. Every human is called to give an account of his entrusted talents: He came to him who had doubled his number, when it was put out to the exchangers, “Well done,” is the commendation, “enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”—his own character is opened to them.
If we will make the most of our Lord’s goods, we will make the most of our time and opportunities; we know not how long or how brief will be our allotted time. “Occupy till I come,” all depends upon the use we make of our present opportunities, our entrusted talents. Every entrusted talent is a loan not to be degraded to selfish use, but to be employed in doing good. There must be no selfish extravagance, no misuse or misapplication of the Lord’s goods. The talents, be they small or great, must be used to the glory of God. The demand will come from the owner, “what use have you made of My goods?” We have the Lord’s property by grace, Christ has purchased all, the interest required will be according to the entrusted capital, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. May the Lord make us wise unto salvation.
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.
