Christmas: The Season of Receiving
The other day, I was talking to my sister-in-law, and I said something—well—weird. I said that while people think of Christmas as the season of giving, it’s actually the season of receiving!
And while it felt really foot-in-mouth (or is it tongue-in-cheek?) at the time, fumbled over and underdeveloped… the message has been ringing true in my heart all the same.
Because you see, we hear giving discussed a lot this time of year. People say,“Oh, that’s the Christmas Spirit!” when good gifts are given, lofty tips are poured out, or charity to fellow man is displayed… but where exactly does this spirit of generosity we hold so dearly at this time of year come from?
In it’s most organic essence, I believe it flows directly from the Spirit of God.
The Spirit who—as referenced in 1 Corinthians 2:12—is the very Spirit who whispers to our hearts all the things freely given to us from God.
The lavish riches of grace, the abundance of benevolence, the overflowing comfort and care--and above all, salvation for all who believe by that very baby-in-the-manger we hear so much about this time of year. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
God’s gifts are extravagant, poured over us. And if we truly want to begin pouring into the lives of others, it must begin with an overflow of grace received from God.
As we come to know him as he truly is, his love abounds in our hearts and minds, and the organic response is to tell the world of this life-changing grace.
I want to tell the whole world! This life of faith is so much more about what God wants for us, then what God wants from us.
Yes, he calls us to give our very lives—but do you know what we receive in exchange? His very life—reverberating through our bones, animating our everyday, changing us from the inside out.
It’s not even close to a fair trade. We receive so much more than we offer.
He’s God. He doesn’t need anything from us!
I love the way Acts 17:25 displays this very idea:
“And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
It’s from him that we receive life and breath and everything else.
And what does he require of us? To simply love him, and love those around us. In doing so, we reflect his generous glory to a thousand generations. (Exodus 20:6)
How do we learn to love? That too begins and ends with God:
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
It needn’t be a platitude or a cliche; the only way to love from the depth of our being is to have the depth of our being filled up by the love of God.
A gift we receive by the Holy Spirit, as a result of faith in Jesus as our savior.
So you see, it all comes down to this: when we receive the most abundant display of grace—appearing humbly in a manger on a silent winter night, we then are able to give to others—not under compulsion or due to manipulation, coercion, or force—but truly, from the restored DNA of our hearts, reflecting the light and love of our Lord who saved us when we least deserved it. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
So this Christmas, I pray you prepare your hearts to receive.
Receive humbly, receive abundantly. And let that love overflow into the lives of many.
Merry Christmas!
