🌟 Merry Christmas Everyone! 🌟We Love Because He First Loved Us!

 Merry Christmas to you, friends and readers! 

For unto us a Child is born! To us a Son is given!

I went back this morning and re-read the blog "Christmas is a Time for Receiving." It's one I wrote 9 years ago. But, like many of my blogs, I go back and reflect many times on the things I have written, remembering all the conversations I've had with the Lord. 

This particular blog I will go back to often because it reminds me of the importance of receiving... something many of us have a hard time doing. We're taught at a young age to be good givers, but maybe not taught as much on the importance of knowing how to be good receivers. The truth is, though, we can not be good givers unless we are first good receivers. 

I can not offer the world anything in and of myself. My talent achieves nothing on its own. But when I receive from the Lord, I then have something to give. (John 15:5) I'm a lot like a child who wants to give a gift to a friend but has no money, is too young to get a job, and has no way to get to the store on their own anyway. I don't give up on the idea of giving to my friend, I just need to realize that I'm going to need mom or dad to actually make it happen for me. The card might say the gift is from me, but everyone knows who really bought the gift. It's the same in the Kingdom. We can give because we have first received. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Our 'bank accounts' are full because He has filled them. And we can now freely do our 'holiday shopping' for others. 

So may we all be filled with more of Him this season and into the New Year! May our hearts be open to receive so we can be amazing givers!

For your convenience, I copied and pasted the Christmas post from 9 years ago. Enjoy. And Merry Christmas!

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I love all things that come with Christmas.  The giving of gifts, the fa-la-la-la-la's, the decking of halls.  I love any reason to hug my loved ones a little closer and give to those in need during the holiday season.  I love connecting with old friends and receiving their Christmas postcards/family portraits.  It's all-round the most wonderful time of the year. 

And as I finish up the last of my Christmas shopping and the loose ends of my wrapping, I can't help but consider once again why I'm even doing all this in the first place.  It makes me come back to the famous scripture that wraps the Message of Love up like a beautiful present:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  

John 3:16

God's most precious Gift given in the small package of a baby boy.

I wonder...If we were to ask God what Christmas means to Him, I bet He'd probably look at us and smile -- so happy that we would even ask.  He would probably pick us up and place us on His Lap like He was ready to tell us the most amazing story we have ever heard. I bet He'd lean in close and whisper these precious words to us:

"Christmas is a time for receiving."

"RECEIVING!?"  we might exclaim.  Oh how contrary to what we would think or say!  How selfish!  "Christmas is not about getting!  It's about giving!"

"No, Christmas is first about receiving." He would reiterate. "Don't you see? I gave. I gave the most excellent gift a Father could give. I gave so that you might live. And, your response is to simply receive. Christmas is truly about Me giving and you receiving all that comes with the Gift I gave. All your giving beyond that is just a response from your receiving from Me."

So, this Christmas, let us be reminded.  Let us come back to the heart of God and His original reason for Christmas.  And let us be sure that we aren't just giving, but that we are also receiving - from Him.