The joy of Christmas is found in Giving
Occasionally, when our pastor is away, he will ask me to step in and provide the sermon that particular Sunday. The post below is part of one such recent sermon
The joy of Christmas is found in Giving (John 3:16)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We have already mentioned that during Christmas there will be a lot of gift giving. I am not against gifts, as a matter of fact, I will take any gift that you want to give me. However, it isn’t the amount of money that goes into the gift that brings joy. If you began your Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving, on Black Friday, like most of the people in the United States, you know that there is a lot of money being spent on gifts. The reason the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, is because that is the day, most stores begin making profit for the year. The amount of money spent before Thanksgiving, is only enough for most stores to stay open; no profit. From the day after Thanksgiving until the end of the year, is where they make their profit, hence the name Black Friday.
Many people go deeply into debt during this time of the year, and they will spend a large portion of next year, cleaning up the mess they made trying to buy joy for people. For the last couple of years, we have had a totally cash Christmas. At the beginning of the year, we establish a budget of how much we are going to spend on Christmas and then we save all year. If you usually go into debt on Christmas gifts and you feel guilty because you spend as much as you do, try a cash-only Christmas next year. It is a great feeling knowing that you stayed on budget and there is no guilt about how you are going to pay it all back. If you try it next year and decide you don’t like not going into debt and not feeling guilty, then you can always go back to doing it your way.
Christmas is a time of giving, but no matter how much you give, you can’t give enough to find true joy. Sure, you can find some level of happiness in giving and receiving gifts, but the gift of real joy has already been given. Over two thousand years ago, a little baby was born in a manger, surrounded by shepherds, with one real purpose. The reason Jesus was born in that little town called Bethlehem was to become the ultimate gift; the sacrifice for my sins. The wise men brought Him gifts; expensive gifts. He performed many miracles, he healed the sick, he fed the hungry, He was constantly giving of himself, but His greatest gift was when He gave was His very own life for you and for me. He did it, so that you and I could know true joy. He did it, because we were unable to do it on our own. This year you can find The joy of Christmas in giving.
Related Websites - Smart Shopping During the Holidays
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- RCDL Weekly Roundup - Be Prepared to Get Stuffed
- How to Find Antiques to Buy
- Preparing for Black Friday
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