Life is a Gift! Thank Him for It!

When I was a teenager, an older cousin bought a horse. Since we had a couple of fenced acres, the horse was kept at our house. I rode her often. I had always loved horses so I was very happy to have to care for “Freckles”. I brushed her and fed her.

I learned how to saddle her, lead her and care for her. One of my best friends had horses too, so I rode with them through the woods and in the pastures near their house. Although she was a tall horse I was never afraid when riding. She kept a good steady pace and behaved well. We had fun together. Not everything about rider and steed was perfect. She could be obstinate and stubborn. She could kick and nip. She liked to mash me up against the stable wall. She didn't always like being saddled. But we kept riding and I kept enjoying her.

Eventually my cousin traded her off and I got married. I still have many fond memories of riding that horse. But that’s not the end of the story.

Recently while visiting with family, I talked about the horse that my cousin had bought. That same cousin was there and he said, “Yeah, I knew Rebekah loved horses so I thought she ought to have one”. I was shocked. Although I said nothing, I had never known the reason why he got that horse. The reason was me. I just thought it was a fluke and an accidental blessing. I enjoyed the blessing of that time with a horse not knowing it was a gift of love. It made me love my time with that horse more and it made me love the giver of the gift even more.

Did you know that your life is a gift of love? Every single day has been purchased by the Blood of the Lamb, because God loves you. You were planned for, prepared for and delivered into this world by earthly parents. But God Himself gave you the breath of life. Before you were even discussed on earth as a possibility, God knew you. He has established every single day for you. You have been given a gift bought with love, paid for at the cross and redeemed at His resurrection.

Oh beloved, you may have been enjoying your life, not giving the Giver of the Gift a second thought. Today is the day to thank Him for this unspeakable gift! Enjoy it. Quit crying over things you cannot change. Quit wishing for something else, when you have the best. Quit hoping for a better day and enjoy today! God knows your struggles, your trials, and the tight places you are in. The One Who ordained your first breath has also ordained every single day for you. He’s even ordained the last breath you will ever take.

Run to Him this morning and ask Him to give you a new appreciation for what He has done. Enjoy today, love the Lord, love your spouse, love your family, love your friends, thank God for every single gift He’s given you and rejoice that you are planned for, prepared for and cared for beyond your wildest imagination. God loves you and He’s for you and that’s a gift no one can take from you.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God NAS

James 1:7 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Psalm 139:14-16 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. NAS

Psalm 79:13 So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture Will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise. NAS

Ready for a Wonderful Gift Exchange? It's Out of This World!

We’ve already been to a couple of Christmas parties. Most of them involved bringing a gift to exchange. Sometimes during these events there’s even the opportunity to swipe someone’s present if you get a chance.  You never know what you’ll come home with, but there’s always the high hopes that you’ll like what you get.  The fellowship and the food are always great as well. With our busy lives, it’s not often that people get to sit together and just visit. Getting a gift as well makes for even more blessings!

There will be gifts to open on Christmas eve or Christmas morning as well in most homes. From the smallest child to the oldest family or friend, everyone wonders what’s in their package. Everyone gets excited as they pull out the contents and everyone oohs and ahhs over each one. Sometimes though the gift may fail to hit the mark. It could be the wrong color or not fit just right.  With most gifts, if there’s something not right the recipient can go to the store and exchange it for a better fit. Occasionally someone will even exchange a gift they received that they just don’t want for a gift that they do want or that fits their personality or size better.

Are you wondering what you’re going to get this year under the tree? Are you concerned that past disappointments make you wonder if it might be right this time? Have you dropped hints, left notes, pointed things out and still hoping someone will take your hint and purchase that much desired gift?

Maybe you’re wishing you could exchange some of the mistakes, problems, troubles, hurts, issues or more. You’ve tried to fix things. You’ve worked hard to relieve yourself of your burdens, but you just can’t seem to get past it. The enemy of your soul has tried to gift you with boxes full of failure, disappointment, and Unforgiveness.  You’re left with an empty heart as you try to stuff the junk in a box and put it in the closet of your life, hoping that bad gift will just go away.

Rejoice! This Holy Season holds more promise than you could ever believe! With the Gift of Christ in our lives, there is much to receive and much to cherish! Every gift from God is good!  He never holds back, He never takes back, He never marks you off His list! For the child of God every day is Christmas! Listen as He shows you His magnificent gift package. He exchanges everything we’ve never wanted and even tried to get rid of on our own for His magnificent gifts!

We exchange our sins for His mercy! We exchange our filthy rags for his righteousness! We exchange our self-will for His will!

Oh beloved! Run to the Greatest Present ever given and give Him your life fresh and new! He promises to withhold nothing from you! He promises to make all His wonderful gifts available to you! He promises to exchange every heartache, every pain, every hurt, every mistake and give you something wonderful instead! He holds nothing back because He loves you! He gives Himself to you because He cares for you! Now that’s worth celebrating Christmas every day!

Romans 5:15  But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:1  As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.

Psalm 16:12 I said to the LORD, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.”

2 Peter 1:3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.