2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 8:5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
I read my daughter's facebook account and both smiled and felt someone saddened. She went into a store to purchase something and found the clerk rude, impatient, and unwilling to help...as she said, "Uugghhh". She left and made her own inner statement - not going back...and then re-thought and realized that one clerk, one day, one unknown "why", is not enough to make her quit on a place. Good for her. I wrote her back to say, I remember when my wife Linda worked at a bank - now some 20 years ago - and she told me one year how she hated it when Christmas came. The two to three weeks leading up to Christmas was filled with grumpy, impatient, and angry for having to take money out of a bank account to pay for presents that they didn't want to buy for people they didn't want to buy for, but felt obligated to do. Yes, that is how some approach the Christmas season - obligations, duty, musts, got-to, etc...
Then there are the gifts that come from love, generosity, an overflowing heart of affections and desire...gifts that inspire awe! I don't think these are often "planned"....they happen. They occur because the posture of the gift giver isn't to try to amaze, but to give because they want to give and they don't count it as a duty or obligation to do so.
One of my Pollasch "adages" in life was learned from a friend many years ago: "Be aware that if you do not have the freedom to say 'No", you ought to be very careful about saying 'Yes'."
I DO NOT HAVE TO do many things. I want to do some things.
Like Love My Wife.
Like Love My Children, their Spouses, and my Grandchildren.
Like Love My Friends well.
Like Love the People God puts into my Life.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
God's gifts to us come from an overflowing heart of love. Where do our gifts come from.
I was struck by that as I thought this morning about why I would buy and give presents. I do love to give.
I don't give out of a sense of duty, but out of a desire to bless and because there's an "overflow".
We've all heard the saying, "Is your cup half-empty, or half-full."
I prefer to say my cup is overflowing. I like that...and God is more than like that.
His grace and love, His mercy and forgiveness, His wonder and power....all overflow into our lives.
I walk (almost) every morning in the country with my dog. As I walk I'm often struck by the beauty of creation. The clouds, wind, sky, weather, etc...they are not commonplace - for when God is present there is no commonplaces.
He created...but he didn't do it to be functional alone. He created beauty.
He gave songs to birds and water that flows.
He puts long trunks on elephants and humps on camels.
He wraps creation in splendor...why?
Why do you give gifts? You look online, walk in malls...looking for THAT gift...why?
Because of Love.
That's why God does it to.
That's why God DID it in Advent the first time...It did it because of LOVE.
The next time you are caught in the ecstasy of worship, a carol of Christmas, a card from a far away friend, the beauty of creation...listen as the wind whispers..."I hope you like it, I did it for you."
Peace
2 Corinthians 8:5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
I read my daughter's facebook account and both smiled and felt someone saddened. She went into a store to purchase something and found the clerk rude, impatient, and unwilling to help...as she said, "Uugghhh". She left and made her own inner statement - not going back...and then re-thought and realized that one clerk, one day, one unknown "why", is not enough to make her quit on a place. Good for her. I wrote her back to say, I remember when my wife Linda worked at a bank - now some 20 years ago - and she told me one year how she hated it when Christmas came. The two to three weeks leading up to Christmas was filled with grumpy, impatient, and angry for having to take money out of a bank account to pay for presents that they didn't want to buy for people they didn't want to buy for, but felt obligated to do. Yes, that is how some approach the Christmas season - obligations, duty, musts, got-to, etc...
Then there are the gifts that come from love, generosity, an overflowing heart of affections and desire...gifts that inspire awe! I don't think these are often "planned"....they happen. They occur because the posture of the gift giver isn't to try to amaze, but to give because they want to give and they don't count it as a duty or obligation to do so.
One of my Pollasch "adages" in life was learned from a friend many years ago: "Be aware that if you do not have the freedom to say 'No", you ought to be very careful about saying 'Yes'."
I DO NOT HAVE TO do many things. I want to do some things.
Like Love My Wife.
Like Love My Children, their Spouses, and my Grandchildren.
Like Love My Friends well.
Like Love the People God puts into my Life.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
God's gifts to us come from an overflowing heart of love. Where do our gifts come from.
I was struck by that as I thought this morning about why I would buy and give presents. I do love to give.
I don't give out of a sense of duty, but out of a desire to bless and because there's an "overflow".
We've all heard the saying, "Is your cup half-empty, or half-full."
I prefer to say my cup is overflowing. I like that...and God is more than like that.
His grace and love, His mercy and forgiveness, His wonder and power....all overflow into our lives.
I walk (almost) every morning in the country with my dog. As I walk I'm often struck by the beauty of creation. The clouds, wind, sky, weather, etc...they are not commonplace - for when God is present there is no commonplaces.
He created...but he didn't do it to be functional alone. He created beauty.
He gave songs to birds and water that flows.
He puts long trunks on elephants and humps on camels.
He wraps creation in splendor...why?
Why do you give gifts? You look online, walk in malls...looking for THAT gift...why?
Because of Love.
That's why God does it to.
That's why God DID it in Advent the first time...It did it because of LOVE.
The next time you are caught in the ecstasy of worship, a carol of Christmas, a card from a far away friend, the beauty of creation...listen as the wind whispers..."I hope you like it, I did it for you."
Peace
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