The Perfect Gift
The perfect gift: Some of you will spend many hours this Christmas season searching for the perfect gift. You will browse through store after store or web site after web site. If you are the giver you want it to be just right. Based on what the person you are giving the gift to needs, you want it to be, perfect.
Maybe you have received the perfect gift. You have that memory of the time when someone surprised you with a gift you will never forget. As a child it may have been a toy that you just thought you had to have.
I dug around and found a couple of Christmas pictures from my past. It’s funny how the perfect gifts haven’t changed after all these years. I still like guns and guitars. Now you know how it all started.
TOP TEN GIFTS YOUR WIVES DON’T WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
10. A car wash kit.
9. A table saw.
8. Two all-day passes to Best Buy’s Home Theatre Installation Seminar.
7. A case of oil.
6. Five-year subscription to Sports Illustrated.
5. Tickets to the WWF “New Year’s Slamfest.”
4. New outboard motor for fishing boat.
3. Rambo Trilogy on DVD.
2. New satellite dish with sports package.
1. Three-year membership to Weight-Watchers Clinic.
TOP TEN GIFTS YOUR HUSBANDS DON’T WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
10. Anne of Green Gables Collectors Edition DVD with 74 minutes of extra footage.
9. Any knick-knack.
8. Tickets to the ballet.
7. Another new tie.
6. A Bath and Body Works Soap Basket.
5. New teddy bear pajamas.
4. Vacuum cleaner.
3. A weekend seminar on "Getting in Touch With Your Feelings."
2. Pair of fuzzy bunny slippers.
1. A nose and ear hair trimmer.
Here’s how it is supposed to work on a perfect Christmas morning. You get up on Christmas morning and you find packages underneath a tree. They are wrapped in colorful paper with ribbons and bows. A minor distraction when it comes time to open the gift. Up until that moment they are a mystery. You may shake them and listen closely to detect some telling sound that would give away the secret.
Gifts are meant to be opened. They are not a gift until received. If this Christmas you leave a package wrapped and unopened it will be useless. It could be the book you wanted to read but unless you open it, it will go unread. It could be the movie you wanted to watch but unless you open it, it will go unwatched. It could be the sweater you wanted to wear but unless you open it, it will go unworn. It could be the keys to the car you wanted to drive but unless you open it, it will never be driven.
Who ever leaves a gift unopened? Who ignores the special package with their name on it? Who has that kind of will power or who cares so little for gifts that they ignore the perfect gift that is for them?
I think I know just who it is. I think that millions of people leave the Perfect Gift unopened year after year. They ignore it; they act like it doesn’t exist. They may even use this gift in conversation but in reality they pay little attention to it.
The Bible says,
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father. . .” James 1:17
There is one Perfect Gift. He was born a long time ago in a little sleepy town by the name of Bethlehem. This Perfect Gift was predicted to come thousands of years before He arrived. Since His arrival this Gift has been opened by millions of people yet still remains unopened by millions more. Have you opened the Perfect Gift?
The Perfect Gift is Jesus. There is no sense in trying to be clever about it. I typed in the name Jesus on Amazon just to see how He was doing in the gift category. Here’s what I found.
Books (29,576)
Home & Garden (1,977)
Jewelry, Loose Diamonds, and Watches (964)
Apparel (684)
Tools & Hardware (319)
Automotive (239)
Health & Personal Care (Beta) (209)
Sports & Outdoors (125)
Toys & Games (28)
Musical Instruments (Beta) (10)
Free Music Downloads (69)
When I was a kid and even occasionally in recent years I tried to get hints as to what was in the gift that had my name on them. Nobody has ever played my little hints game in the past. It always has to be a big secret. Today I am going to give you some hints about the Perfect Gift. You see the time to open it is past. It is one lonely package left under the tree. It has your name on it.
Why won’t you open this Gift? Let me give you some hints as to its contents:
Advocate
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2
Why won’t you open this gift?
Almighty
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1:8
Why won’t you open this gift?
Author and Perfecter of our Faith
2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. 12:2
Why won’t you open this gift?
Bread of Life
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
Why won’t you open this gift?
Bridegroom
15Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. Matthew 9:15
Why won’t you open this gift?
Eternal Life
20And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we are in God because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. 1 John 5:20
Why won’t you open this gift?
Good Shepherd
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— John 10:11,14
Why won’t you open this gift?
Hope
1This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and by Christ Jesus our hope. 1 Timothy 1:1
Why won’t you open this gift?
Life
6Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Why won’t you open this gift?
Light of the World
12Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." John 8:12
Why won’t you open this gift?
Mighty God
6For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Why won’t you open this gift?
Rock
4and they drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God’s fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:4 Why won’t you open this gift?
Savior
23For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. Ephesians 5:23
Why won’t you open this gift?
True Light
9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. John 1:9
Why won’t you open this gift?
Truth
6Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Why won’t you open this gift?
Way
6Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Why won’t you open this gift?
Word
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
Why won’t you open this gift?
THE MANY NAMES OF CHRIST
To the ARTIST He is the One Altogether Lovely.
To the ARCHITECT He is the Chief Corner Stone.
To the BAKER He is the Living Bread.
To the BANKER He is the Hidden Treasure.
To the BIOLOGIST He is the Life.
To the BUILDER He is the Sure Foundation.
To the CARPENTER He is the Door.
To the DOCTOR He is the Great Physician.
To the EDUCATOR He is the Great Teacher.
To the ENGINEER He is the New and Living Way.
To the FARMER He is the True Vine.
To the FLORIST He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.
To the GEOLOGIST He is the Rock of Ages.
To the JUDGE He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men.
To the JEWELER He is the Pearl of Great Price.
To the LAWYER He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.
To the NEWSPAPER EDITOR He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.
To the PHILANTHROPIST He is the Unspeakable Gift.
To the PHILOSOPHER He is the Wisdom of God.
To the SCULPTOR He is the Living Stone.
To the SERVANT He is the Good Master.
To the STATESMAN He is the Desire of All Nations.
To the STUDENT He is the Incarnate Truth.
To the THEOLOGIAN He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
To the TOILER He is the Giver of Rest.
To the SINNER He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World.
To the CHRISTIAN He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer and the Lord.
The bottom line is this; He came to this earth to be the Perfect Gift for all people everywhere. No matter what you have done in your life or with your life it’s not too late to come to Christ and accept His perfect gift of love.
Maria and her daughter, Christina, lived in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of a Brazilian village. Maria’s husband had died when Christina was an infant and she never remarried. Times were tough but at last Christina was old enough to get a job to help out.
Christina spoke often of going to the city. She dreamed of trading her dusty neighborhood for exciting avenues and the city life. Just the thought of that horrified her mother, who knew exactly what Christina would have to do for a living. That’s why her heart broke. That’s why she couldn’t believe it when she awoke one morning to find her daughter’s bed empty. Knowing where her daughter was headed, she quickly threw some clothes in a bag, gathered up all of her money, and ran out of the house.
On her way to the bus stop she entered a drugstore and got one last thing. Photos. She sat in the photograph booth, closed the curtain, and spent all the time she could on making photos of herself. With her purse full of small black-and-white photos, she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janeiro.
Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew that her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human being will do things that were before unthinkable. Knowing this, Maria began her search. Bars, hotels, nightclubs, any place with the reputation for street walkers or prostitutes. She went to them all. And at each place Maria left her photo--taped to a bathroom mirror, tacked to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner telephone booth. And on the back of each photo she wrote a note. Then her money and the pictures ran out, Maria went home.
A few weeks later young Christina descended the hotel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her dreams had become a nightmare. But as she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and there on a lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina’s eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed the small photo. Written on the back was a compelling invitation, "Whatever you’ve done, whatever you have become, it doesn’t matter. Please come home." And she did.
If your dreams are lying in shattered pieces around you right now, and have turned into nightmares, please bring them to Jesus and let Him turn them into a source of glory and rejoicing. Regardless of what has become of your life, you can bring it to Jesus right now.
A little boy was in a heated argument with his sister about who was going to get the last brownie. His mother overheard the loud discussion in their kitchen and came in to resolve the conflict. Her two children were obviously very distraught about getting that final treat. Sensing the need to teach a deeper truth, the mom asked her children that ever-relevant question: “What would Jesus do?” The older sibling immediately answered, “That’s easy, Jesus would just break the brownie and make five thousand more!” Adapted from “This We Believe,” John Ortberg, Seeds Tape Ministry C9841
The fact is that Jesus Christ is the Perfect Gift because He has the answer to ever need you have today. He knows, He cares, He wants to come into your life and help you every step of the way into your future.
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I am inviting you today to pray with me and open this gift for yourself.
