The Gift God Desires

“We love Him because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:19



What do you get someone who has everything and I mean everything? The book of Colossians sums it up like this, “all things were made by God and for God and nothing exists apart from God.” Have you ever thought about what you could get God at Christmas or what He might desire from us? After all, people have been bringing God gifts since the day Jesus was born into this world. Rest assured, God isn’t looking for gold, frankincense or myrrh. The Bible says that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills so its safe to say God doesn’t need anything materialistic but there is something He desires from us. What God desires from each of us is to trust Him completely, to take Him at His word and to obey Him as He leads and directs our steps. Jesus makes it crystal clear when He says, “if you love Me you will keep my commadments.” That might sound more mechanical than relational so let me explain.

There is an old saying, “Kids spell love, T-I-M-E”. In many ways I believe God spells love the same way too. When I think about what I believe God would like from me this Christmas I think about my own Dad and what He would tell me he would like for Christmas or his birthday or some special occasion. I would ask my dad periodically what he would like for Christmas or his birthday and if there was anything he wanted or needed. He would say the same thing every time, every year. My dad would answer my question with, “just take me to lunch” as what my dad wanted more than any material possession was to spend time with me, just me and him. I believe that is what our Heavenly Father would like most as well, T-I-M-E.

With each passing year I understood more why my own father would ask for time. Unlike our Heavenly Father, my dad didn’t own the cattle on a thousand hills and still had needs but those needs were a distant second to his wants. My dad wanted to spend time with me just to enjoy hearing about what was going on in my life and what I was up to and how I thought and felt about what was going on in the world and how was I dealing with everything I had on my plate. Being my dad and knowing the pressure that life puts on us he wanted to spend time with me to offer me encouragement, guidance and just share in the joy of our relationship as father and son. Every relationship is special in some way but even scripture recognizes the unique relationship between fathers and sons, especially with regard to perpetuating the next generation. My dad throughly enjoyed watching me become a dad myself and how I would interact with my own children. Spending time with my dad has helped me to better understand the heart of Father God.

The point is this. Every child of God has the capacity to bring our Heavenly Father joy, to please Him. The best way we can do that this Christmas is to sit and break bread with Him, just us and God. The communion table is the place God most enjoys meeting with us. As we sit with our Heavenly Father and reflect on the gift of our salvation made possible by Jesus being born it communicates our awareness of God’s presence among us. Each time we break bread with our Heavenly Father we have opportunity to appreciate and to offer thanks not only for what He has done in the past but as well to enjoy what He is doing in the present and to look forward to what He has still yet to do in the days to come. Because of Jesus we have a friendship with God, a relationship to be shared and enjoyed each day.

So, what do you give someone who has everything? Give our Heavenly Father the gift of you. Take time, make time this Christmas to sit alone with God and to love Him with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength. There is no better gift you can give than to give the gift of you. After all, isn’t that exactly what Father God gave us that first Christmas when Jesus, God’s own Son He stepped through time and was born among us so that we could behold Him. Every time we sit with God we get another chance to behold Him anew. Give God what He desires this Christmas. Give Him the gift of you!

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”


Psalm 16:11


I LOVE YOU!