It's Christmas Time!

I love Christmas! Love the beautiful decorations, the Christmas carols, the Yuletide hymns of the church, but most of all; I love the reason or Christmas—the birth of Jesus! When I think about it, it almost takes my breath away. God comes to earth in the form of a baby to save us from our sins. What immeasurable love and sacrifice this is. His gift does something wonderful to each of us. It causes us to want to give back. For example, when I was 13 years old, I had recently landed a job as a bag-boy at a privately owned grocery store in my hometown. I had just been paid and I had a $1.25 in my pocket!

I felt rich! I could now pay for my own lunch at school the next week. Back then lunch was $.25 per day. I had enough money to pay for the whole week! As I was walking home after work, a black woman who had done some domestic work for my mother stepped from behind a car with a desperate look on her face. She called my name through a stressed-filled voice. I stopped, sensing that something was wrong. As she approached me, she pleaded, "Please let me borrow fifty cents! I'll be glad to pay you back when I can." Her eyes were filling with tears. Her body was tense. Sensing a strong need in the life of this sweet, humble woman, I replied, "Sure." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a shiny new fifty cent piece and placed it in her outstretched hand.

She spoke profusely, "Thank you! Thank you!" and immediately walked quickly into the grocery store, I continued my walk home. Boy, did I feel good! Life was great! I had been able to help someone in need. Later in the next week, I would have a pay a price for giving my money away. But it didn't matter, because the joy that I received from the gift was far greater than the price. I feel that God feels that same way about you and me.

The joy from giving the gift of salvation is far greater than the price paid—as great as that price was.

So that brings us to thinking about the gift that we need to give to our Global missions Offering. We have foreign missionaries with strong needs, and they are praying for God to meet them. The ones whom I know are living sacrificially to share the life-saving story of Jesus. Do I want to be a part of that?

You bet I do! I want to give away what I cannot keep to gain what I cannot lose!

I live for the time when I will be in Heaven, and someone walks ups to me and says, "Thank you for giving unto the Lord. I am a life who was changed."

I have more than $41.25 in my pocket now, but I want my best Christmas gift to go to Jesus through my Global Missions Offering.

Giving Because Jesus Gave,

Ron