The Gift

Details
Category: Teachings & Articles
Published: Friday, 13 December 2019 23:51
Hits: 1699

The Gift

By Augusto A. Kho

Christmas Party Celebration

Living Stone Christian Academy (LSCA) - Rosales

December 9, 2019 (Friday); 8:00 a.m.

 

What’s the most perfect gift this Christmas?

(picture1)

Gift-Giving

What are the practical tips for gift-giving?

 

Perhaps we need some questions before we buy gift to someone just like the following reasons:

  1. Why give a gift?

  2. What’s the best and fitting gift?

  3. What is the occasion?

  4. Who is the celebrant?

 

 

Kitchen sink

While at the kitchen sink washing the dishes last December 8, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. this words came to me saying, “Unto us a son is given,” (Isaiah 9:6). And I didn’t know that this is the very theme of today’s message for our school’s Christmas celebration.

 

However, what truly bumped me that very early in the morning is the word “given.”


What is “given?”

 

By the way, do you believe in “forever?”

 

 

Given Defined

The word “given” in the Hebrew “nathan” means “grant, consecrated, dedicated or devoted.”

 

And it is fitting to read Isaiah 9:6 this way, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is devoted.” While other’s sense of devotion may not last forever, the son of God will always be dedicated to you and me.

 

Your wife may leave your or your son or daughter or husband yet the Son of God remains. And He would never let you go. While others says “let him go!” Jesus stays with you forever.

 

 

A best gift

What the best gift to your wife or husband? What’s the perfect gift to you grandpa? How about to your loving son or daughter?

 

Magi gave three various gift to Christ when he was born in a manger. Are those gifts perfectly matches to what the child Jesus need?

 

Matthew 2:11 says, ““ …and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh,”

 

What these gold, frankincense or incense and myrrh meant for?

 

 

Symbolic meaning of Magi’s gift

Magi’s gift has a rich symbolic meaning in terms of Christ’s call.

  • Gold speaks of purity and kingship. Only fire can test the genuineness of gold (Proverbs 17:3; 1 Peter 1:7; Rev. 3:18/ ESV).

  • Incense speaks of prayers and priesthood. (Rev., 8:3-4; 8)

  • Myrrh speaks of self-sacrifice. Researchers of Cardiff University in Wales believes that myrrh as a gift of Magi to Christ in Matthew 2:11 is in fact anointing oil in honouring Christ’s death.

 

Should you buy a gift to your wife or husband, what those gifts speaks for? Are those presents speak of who the recipient truly is?

 

 

God’s gift

Should God will give you a gift this Christmas, what kind of present will He give it you? Would this be the gift that you needed the most?

 

Truly, this is the gift of God for you. Romans 6:23/ ISV says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah Jesus our Lord. “


Will you be brave enough to admit that you are a sinner (just like me)? And the Scriptures says that he who sins shall die. But it didn’t end there. God the Father has provided us His gift – eternal union with Christ.

 

 

Gift Defined

Gift in Greek word “charisma” is defined as “Gift (Greek) “charisma” as “unmerited favour, a divine grace, a virtue, deliverance from danger or passion, pardon of rescue.”

 

What kind of passion do you have? Are you passionate for a partner or passionate for money, honour or power? Whatever! Apostle Paul says you are now in great danger. And the gift of God is given for your own sake and for your own salvation no matter there will be just a single soul left to enter His kingdom.


While God gave His son Jesus Christ, it is the son who offers us the eternal life. Christ’s very death on the cross gave us the eternal life that we don’t truly deserve YET still given us to be divine favour and grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

 

Gift (Greek) “charisma”

  • Unmerited favour

  • Divine grace

  • Virtue

  • Deliverance from danger or passion

  • pardon or rescue

 

 

What matter

Now, what gift that truly matters to Christ?

 

If Christmas is Christ’s birth, then who deserves a gift? Is it you? Is it me? Or is it Him?

 

Last December 5, 2019 (Thursday), my quite time reads this way at 5:07 in the morning.

Reading from Jeremiah 4:3/ NLT speaks this way,

 

“Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns.”

 

So it dawned on me this way, should you have a good amount of resources, skills or money, where will you plant them? On hard soil? Or the good one? Where will you plant your money this Christmas? Will you start an early Christmas Shopping to your love ones? See these “batang hamog” with taken photos on Dec 6 (Friday) at 2 a.m.

(picture2)

They were around 4-5 of them clutching each other to warm themselves up on this December’s cold spell on the dirt-stained, cold pavement beside 7-Eleven convenient store in Kabihasnan, Paranaque. Where are their parents? Where’s the billions of pesos of funds for the poor and the homeless which they called, “4 P’s?”Where are the DSWD and the Good Samaritans?

 

 

Birthday Celebrant

Why we expect gifts this Christmas when it is not our birthday in the first place? Who is the birthday celebrant on this season, is it not the Lord Christ Jesus? Then why not him that should we give a present? But how?

 

What gift that truly matters to Christ?

 

Jesus said, “I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me?” (Matthew 25:36). So give Him a present that best that we could give, the poor, the naked, those who are in prison?

 

From Mc Donald’s Rosales, we have been celebrating “Christmas Treat for Kids” for this 19th Year. Normally we reach out to the less fortunate ones, to those who wander on the streets begging for food, to the malnourished and so forth. At least even for this Christmas! This time, we’re moving and for the first time we did in Mc Donald’s in Pasay City last December 6, 2019 and then in Mc Donald’s Kabihasnan in Paranaque City last December 9, 2019. Just to give Christ what He truly deserves.

(picture3)

I had the share the Christ in the Word of God to these kids in Kabihasnan. While food is beneficial, God says that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” (Matthew 4:4).

(picture4)

I realize

Until I realize that …

 

There is no amount of food we gave;

Nor the numbers of mouths that we fed;

Nor the naked and bared bodies that we clothe;

Can measure our gift to Christ

But God gauges… nothing but our hearts.

 

What matters most to Him is our hearts and yielded lives. This is the most perfect gift for Him after all!

(picture5)