Gifts You Can Give During the Entire Year

Of course, it is the time of giving. It is Christmas time! People love to give gifts at this season of the year to their loved ones and friends. There is nothing wrong with giving gifts anytime of the year. The spirit of kindness, thoughtfulness and cheerfulness are certainly welcomed during this festive period of the year. It would be wonderful if such expressions were to be found among people the rest of the year. Some gifts that are being given during the Christmas season are very expensive and the number of gifts is too plentiful at times. There are numerous families who get into financial difficulties simply because they go into debt in buying gifts for their family and others. However, there are several gifts that are free that can be and should be given at all times of the year. Here are special gifts you can give to your loved ones, your brothers and sisters in Christ and your friends and neighbors.

THE GIFT OF PRAISE ~ Mark Twain said he could live for two months on one compliment. Critics destroy while encouragers build us up. We need to make it a point to express sincere compliments when we can. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth these words: “Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2).

THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING ~ We all desire to be understood and we should have the same desire to be understanding of others, especially during the times of difficulties, trials and failures. Solomon requested of God that He give him “an understanding heart” (1 Kings 3:9, 12).

THE GIFT OF KINDNESS ~ You can’t help but notice how kind people are to one another during this season of the year. Someone opens a door for a complete stranger. You speak to people you do not even know. Christians need to be kind toward others all the time. One of the true characteristics of a child of God is “brotherly kindness” (2 Peter 1:7). Paul exhorts us to “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Romans 12:10). In Ephesians 4:32, he writes, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Please notice the word “kind” in this verse. If you remove the “d” from the word “kind” you have ‘kin”. You see, we are all “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26); therefore, we are ‘kin’ and we should be “kind to one another”.

THE GIFT OF YOUR PERSONAL PRESENCE ~ There is no substitute for a visit to see someone in the hospital, the nursing home or persons confined to their own homes. Of course wisdom must be used in deciding whether or not a visit is wise in certain situations. But, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble…” (James 1:27). On the judgment day, the faithful who will be saved eternally will be Christians who gave and visited (Matthew 25:34-40).

THE GIFT OF GRATITUDE ~ Someone has written that “Gratitude is the mother virtue of all virtues.” The apostle Paul encourages us that “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). In Romans chapter 1, Paul describes the unbelieving Gentle world as being sinful and idolatrous in their corrupt manner of life. One of the specific sins he mentioned was that they “did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful” (vs.21). In Luke 17:11-19 we read of Jesus healing the ten lepers. When they were instructed to show themselves to the priests, only one of the ten lepers returned and with a “loud voice glorified God, and he fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And He was a Samaritan”. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” Probably the percentage is about the same today; only 1 out of 10 will pause and give God the thanks for all the blessings of life which He gives to us from His bountiful hand of grace.

THE GIFT OF OUR PRAYERS ~ Christians are taught in the Scriptures to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The writer James instructs us to “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (KJV). A hymn that we have sung in our worship assemblies over the years is “For You I Am Praying” and we should practice what we sing!

THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS ~ In the prayer Jesus gave to the disciples as a pattern for their prayers He mentioned that we should forgive those who sin against us. The only comment the Lord made following the prayer can be found in these words: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:9-15). Jesus never asked His disciples to do anything but that he was willing to do in His life. When He was on Calvary’s cross one of the seven sayings he uttered was “Father, forgive them, for they do know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). We learn in the teachings of Jesus Christ that we are to forgive our brother as often as he is penitent of his sins (See Matthew 18:21, 22). I read the true story about a teenager who was killed in automobile wreck when a drunken driver hit his car. The dead teenager’s parents, filled with sorrow in the loss of their precious son later visited the person who was responsible for the accident and became his friends. In time they taught him about Jesus Christ and he was immersed into Christ for the remission of his sins. They forgave him as our Heavenly Father forgives us (Ephesians 4:32).

THE GIFT OF A CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE ~ Jesus taught that we are to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16). The apostle Paul instructs us to be “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians2:15). We may be the only ‘Bible’ that our neighbors and friends may see. “I’d rather see a sermon than to hear one any day…” is the consensus of millions of our fellowmen.

THE GIFT OF LOVE ~ This is the greatest gift ever given and it was given by God the Father when He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins (John 3:16). Jesus taught His disciples to love one another: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34, 35). “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friend” (John 15:13) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our love for everyone should be manifested in our desire that all people come to believe in and obey the Lord Jesus Christ.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Our giving should not be limited to special occasions but we should give these gifts throughout the year. Furthermore, if we have not done so, we need to give our lives to Jesus Christ because He gave His life for us that through the shedding of His precious blood we could have the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7). The apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost told the believers to “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (ASV, Acts 2:36-38). Have you given your life to Christ?

Thanksgiving

It was the Psalmist who declared, “What shall I render unto Jehovah for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of Jehovah…I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the name of Jehovah” (Psalm 116:12, 13, 17). It was said that the Lord sent two angels to earth to gather the petitions and thanksgivings made by his followers. Both angels returned to heaven in distress. The angel bearing the petitions was truly weighted down with his burden. The other angel bringing the prayers of thanksgivings was nearly empty handed. The lesson is obvious and clear. Most of God’s children are more apt to make requests, petitions and supplications rather than the giving of thanks. This is often the case in private and public prayers. We need to listen to our prayers and note that this is true. Our brothers who lead the public prayers during our assemblies should express gratitude to God for all the blessings we have in Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) on behalf of the congregation. It is sad to observe that this is not done very much. I remember hearing a fellow preacher lead prayers in two different assemblies during gospel meetings wherein he never gave thanks for the grace and love of God. It is so needful that we all express our gratitude to our gracious heavenly Father for all of life’s blessings that flow so freely from His bountiful hand of grace (James 1:17).

Here are some ways by which we all can be more positive in rendering thanksgiving unto God. We need to enumerate daily our blessings of life rather than dwell on the injuries, disappointments, trials and sorrows that we have experienced. When we think in this manner we chase away the negative thoughts from our minds. Express in your private prayers the gratitude in your heart for your family, friends, food, shelter, raiment, opportunities, freedom and a thousand other things that God has given you. Your daily life should be in the likeness of Jesus Christ. Such will indicate your thankfulness for His death for you. Your countenance of happiness and your trusting manner of life will show others that you are thankful to God for His unmerited favor. Our songs in worship should be filled with praise and adoration to God and the Lamb. Sadly to say, most of our songs are focused on heaven and of exhorting one another. This is not to say that such should not be done but to leave songs of praise to God out of our singing is not right. It would be good if our song leaders began our worship assemblies with songs of praise to God. Our public prayers should burst forth with such expressions as we assemble to render our homage and devotion to God with awe and godly fear. We should carefully read the book of Psalms and notice how much space is devoted to the praise of the Lord God even when the writer was experiencing trials and tribulations in his life. His life was filled with thanksgiving and so should ours. David wrote in Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving…: Again he stated in Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving…” and in Psalm 69:30, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”

THANKFUL HEART

I lift my heart to Thee, O God,
In gratitude and praise
For all Thy blessings of the past,
And those of future days –
For well I know if I shall live,
Thy blessings still shall flow
Across my soul in greater joy
Than I could ever know.
I thank Thee for my faithful friends,
For sunshine and the rain,
And every blessing hid or seen,
Though some may come through pain.
O God, accept my thanks to Thee
Each time I come to pray,
And grant each day that I shall live
Will be Thanksgiving Day.
~ F. W. Davis

When It Rains, It Pours

Well, many folk have prayed for rain because of the drought condition in the southeastern section of our country and the good Lord sent it. The problem was that some areas were flooded. I am reminded of the story of some brethren in west Texas who became greatly concerned about the extreme drought conditions in their part of the world. They decided to obtain the services of a preacher to come and pray for rain. Finally they found a city preacher to come out and pray for rain. He came and prayed fervently for the Lord to send rain upon the arid land. After a couple of days had passed the rain began to fall. In fact it rained until all the land was flooded and the situation became very serious. The brethren became very concerned again because all their properties were inundated with water. They came together to discuss what they should do. One brother was heard to have said, “That is what we get by having a preacher to pray for rain who knew nothing about agriculture.”

You know life is much like that. There are times of peace, joy, happiness and good health. These are mountain top experiences. But in a moment of time things can radically change. The prophet Elijah was successful on Mount Carmel but in a short time he was to be found in a deep valley of discouragement and he desired to die (1 Kings 18; 19:4). This mighty man of God was human after all and not unlike ourselves (James 5:17). The good times do not test our strength and faith. It is when the tragedies of life occur. It is when death invades our home. It is when a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal disease. It is when the ill winds of discouragement and despair howl strongly across the depths of our inner being. It is when you pray for a friend or a loved one to get well and doesn’t and he dies. It is when you lose your job and you have to look elsewhere for employment. And there are dozens of other reasons why your heart becomes burdened down with anxiety and sadness.

Please excuse the personal experiences but I must mention some of them. My lovely bride has and is presently experiencing some health problems; there was the sudden death of a dear friend that has overwhelmed me; a telephone call this morning informed me that a brother-in-law was critically injured yesterday in an automobile accident. Life is not a bed of roses. Sometimes the valleys in life are deep and long. But it is not a time to give up. Blaming God and leaving the Lord would not be answer. Gold refined by fire rids the dross and makes it purer. I think of this passage in Proverbs 24:10, “If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small” in connection to that which I am now discussing.

There was a time when many of the disciples of the Lord left Him and He asked His own apostles, “Do you also want to go away?” It was then that Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. “Also we have come to believe and know You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:66-69). It is in the valleys of life that I need Him. He has never forsaken me and why should I forsake him. He is my Rock and my salvation. He is my Hightower; my shelter in the time of the storms. He gives me comfort in the night. His strength is greatly manifested in weakness.

I often requested of Him to bestow His grace upon me so that I might see the sun beyond the overcast and the silver lining behind every cloud. And His grace is sufficient for me. A moving verse is found in James 4:6 which is a simple but a very profound statement, “But He gives more grace.” Listen to this precious promise of our Heavenly Father, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). The following hymn explains best what I am trying to say.

HE GIVETH MORE GRACE

By Annie J. Flint
(1866-1932)

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;

To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,

To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

Our father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,

Our God ever yearns His resources to share;

Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;

The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

The Giving of Thanks

Our blessed Lord taught, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7, 8). The apostle wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made to God…”

As children of God we have the words of Jesus and the Holy Spirit (through Paul) informing us that we have the wonderful privilege of asking, making supplications and requests and our God will hear us. The fact is we probably ask more in our prayers than we do in the giving of thanks for His infinite grace through which He bestows an abundance of blessings upon us. For example, brethren often fail to give thanks for the food that is about to be eaten. A brother is usually requested to “ask the blessing” or to “bless the food”. And so many times the brother will ask the lord to “bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and our bodies in your service” and there is nothing wrong in that request. But what we fail to do is to express our gratitude for the food that we have received as a blessing from God. It is on this point that I would like to emphasize in this article so that we all might be mindful of our need to give thanks, not only for our food but for all the blessings of life that God has given us. The writer James states that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

Concerning the giving of thanks specifically for our food, consider the example of Jesus Christ. In the feeding of the four thousand men plus women and children Matthew wrote, “And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude” (Matthew 15:36). On another occasion when He fed the five thousands John wrote, “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted” (John 6:11, 23).

Then there is the example of the apostle Paul giving thanks before he ate food that had been given as a blessing from God. He was on his way to Rome as a prisoner and the boat in which he was traveling was in serious trouble and was about to sink. The people on board had not eaten in fourteen days and Paul encouraged them to take nourishment. In Acts 27:35 we read, “And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.” In matters of judgment Paul wrote the following in Romans 14:6, “…He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” The apostle later wrote in I Timothy 4:4, 5, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” (Emphasis is mine in the above verses, RE). In our prayer before our meals let it be one of thanksgiving for the food that we are about to receive along with other expressions of praise and requests.

Jesus Knows Me, This I Love

Most believers in the Lord have sung or have heard the song ‘Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…’ But the expression ‘Jesus (God) knows me’ is equally as scriptural and we all should love this great truth and the One who knows us. In II Timothy 2:19 we read, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” The church of our Lord has a sure foundation and the gates of hades cannot successful prevail against it (Matthew 16:16-18; I Corinthians 3:11). In the New Jerusalem the wall “had twelve foundations, and on these were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). The house of God (the church) has this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His…” In Nahum 1:7 the prophet wrote these comforting words, “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” God is all knowing. The Psalmist declared this in Psalm 139:1-6, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.” Rather than being a frightening thing to me, as His child I should be so thankful that the Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of life, knows my heart’s intentions, my weaknesses, my heartaches, my cares, my trials and tribulations, my desires, my needs and yes, even the number of hairs on my head. He knows my name. He knows more about me than my wife, my children, my friends, my brethren and even the federal government. The mere thought is overwhelming. To know that He cares for me moves me emotionally. And I love it so. Among the teeming millions who live on this earth, He hears me when I pray to Him. How can this be? There is not a place I can go but that He is there(Psalm 139:7-12). And I love it so. He knew me when I was in my mother’s womb and He knows the way I shall go (Psalm 139:13-16). The Psalmist closes the chapter with these words, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23, 24).

THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
The mighty God, Omniscient One! His ways we cannot trace.
He reckons every good begun And crowns it with His grace.
Lo! I can see Him in His word—I will not doubt or fear;
My steps are ordered of the Lord, His guiding hand is near.
No trial can my spirit break, For God will not forsake;
He will with each temptation make A way for my escape.
The future beckons and I bow –My God removes the care!
Behold, He goes before me now, And will my way prepare.
He’s here, and there, and everywhere in all the ways I’ve trod.
I’ve never passed beyond the sphere of the providence of God.

~L. O. Sanderson