Gift giving

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Micah 4, 5, 6

Micah 6:6-8 (NIV)

6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Good morning!

Do you take joy in gift giving? Last night, Jeff and I enjoyed a special birthday dinner with onr one year old granddaughter, Madison Marie. She is a real cutie, with fly-away blonde hair and big blue eyes that melt your heart, Maddie is a tiny little thing. She only weighs seventeen pounds. When you pick Madison up, it’s kind of like picking up my purse, although I think it must weigh more than her. She is a trite leaf! We watched as Maddie opened her birthday presents with her big brother Jett. She liked the books Granny Deb picked out, but seemed disinterested in Clifford, the big red dog stuffed animal, or the angel that prays bedtime prayers. She got a vacuum cleaner that sings nursery rhymes when you roll it on the floor. I might enjoy vacuuming my house a whole lot more if my vacuum would sing to me! Jett and Pa had a good time putting together the Little People dollhouse. What a time of great joy, to see life through the eyes of a tiny one-year old girl. Don’t you just wonder what she is thinking as she looks at the brightly colored paper, totally disinterested in the gift inside? There is only so much of the world one take in, when you are only one year old.

One of my favorite gifts to give was a blood donation. I went regularly for many years, believing that the gift of a blood donation might one day save the life of another human being in crisis. I prepared well for each donation, by drinking lots of water, eating high protein foods, and getting plenty of exercise and rest before I gave. I always felt good afterward, inside and out. Since I’m no super hero and physically saving lives does not seem to be my natural calling, this was one gift I could give, knowing I would make a lasting difference for someone else. This past winter, my doctors told me that due to anemia, I could no longer donate blood. When my daughter was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago, there was a time when I knew she might need a transfusion. Not only are we related, but we have the same blood type, and yet, I wasn’t eligible to give her the gift of life. How that broke my heart! All those years that I was able to give freely and now when I wanted to help my child, I couldn’t. Have you ever wanted to give the gift of life to someone you love? You watch helplessly as your children suffer with an illness that you cannot cure, even though you would give anything to make them whole again. .

The prophet Micah beautifully captures the effects of sin in the words He speaks to God’s people. Hear him speak to your heart today. Micah knew that when we choose to live in sin, we separate ourselves from a perfect and holy Father. If we do not turn away and repent, that sin will eventually kill us. Can you imagine the pain it must cause our Father watching His creation waste away in sin? What kind of offering could possibly be given that would purchase a dying soul from eternal death and Hell?

Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, became our kinsman redeemer when He gave His life on the cross of Calvary. He came to redeem the world from the sins that keep us separated from a holy relationship with God. Like Abraham, we may wonder if we must sacrifice our first born child to atone for the mistakes we’ve made in life. We’ve all made them; none of us are perfect. What can we return to a loving Father, a faithful Son, and a comforting Spirit, who seeks us out day by day and calls us into a deeper relationship? We offer our hearts to the Lord when we choose to act justly, show mercy, and walk humbly with the Great I Am. The only gift we can give to the greatest gift giver I know is to return our hearts to Him with thanksgiving and praise.

If God can save a sin-sick soul like me, He can save you too. Won’t you open and accept the best gift you will ever receive? Ask Jesus Christ into your heart today.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: courage to unwrap the best gift ever given – Jesus Christ died so that you may be healed and whole, not only in this life, but for all eternity. He is yours for the keeping, if you will simply ask Jesus into your heart.

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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

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