I love Christmas morning. I’ve always been the first one to wake up on the legendary day where we get to gather around the Christmas tree and open up presents. Picture this: you walk into the room where your Christmas tree is and you see all the presents under the tree, few or many, and you begin to distribute the gifts to each person whose name is written on the label. As you do so, you see that God is written on a number of the presents. Hmmm. Am I dreaming?
What if this Christmas you give great gifts to family, friends, strangers, and pets, but you also do something else? What if this Christmas you decided to invest in gifts you can give to God? That sounds nice, right? But what kind of gifts could you give to God? Let’s look at 7 that will mean a lot to God.
7 Gifts You Can Give to God This Christmas
1. Commit to daily Bible reading.
When we read the Bible we are taking part in a conversation with God. That’s truly remarkable that He would care enough to give us His very words for us to read, study, and soak in. What better gift to give our relational God than to spend time in conversation with Him? Don’t know where to begin with reading your Bible on a daily basis? Look up some Bible reading plans in YouVersion or get Journey to Knowing God, a 4 week daily devotional that I created just for you (it also features 4 sessions of audio).
2. Commit to daily praying.
When we pray we are, again, taking part in a conversation with God. While Bible reading is God speaking to us, praying is us speaking to God. Our God desires to hear us speak to Him. He wants a real relationship with you and prayer is vital to that relationship. Ever feel stuck in your prayer life? Read this: 3 Surefire Ways to Know What to Pray About. Make it a point to pray every day and speak to God.
3. Commit to serving in your local church.
God has uniquely gifted every single one of His people for ministry. And He has placed us in specific places for specific things. His plan for reaching the entire world for the Gospel is the Church. The local church is how God accomplishes His mission, but what that means is that He does this through people – like you. Give God the gift of your service to His bride. Find a place in your local church where you can use your gifts for His glory. Not sure what area you should serve? I highly recommend you read this: Our Desperate Need for Spiritual Entrepreneurs (And How You Can Become One). Don’t stand on the sidelines anymore. Get in the game!
4. Commit to giving to your local church.
The only reason you have a seat to sit in at your local church is because someone came before you and gave to God’s work in your local church. When you give to your local church, you are giving to God’s work here on earth. Don’t take that lightly because it has eternal value. The church is in place to expand God’s kingdom and to invest in your soul. That’s a pretty big deal. Of all the causes or organizations you could give to, why not begin giving to the most important cause – the cause of Christ through the local church? Giving is the one thing God has told us to test Him in. Read more about that here: God Has a Challenge For You: Will You Accept It?
5. Commit to sharing your faith with others.
God’s mission is to save people from their sins and to make them brand new. As I’ve said above, He executes His mission by working through the Church. There’s a party in heaven when sinners come to repentance and fall to Jesus’ feet in faith and surrender (Luke 15:7). Paul made it a point to emphasize the fact that the Gospel must be preached in order for people to believe it (Romans 10:14). So what shall we do? We shall commit to sharing what God has done in our lives and what He promises to those who come to Him. We are all called to be preachers of the Gospel. We may not stand on a stage, but we are still called to share God’s great news with people who don’t know Him. Wondering what you could say to someone who doesn’t believe? Read this: 12 Things Grace Says.
6. Take a faith-filled risk for God’s Kingdom.
God is able to do way more than we can ask of Him or imagine Him doing. So why not what He is calling you to do? It may be a risk from your perspective, but for the one who has prepared all the good things for you to do before you were even born, it’s a done deal. Trust Him and take a step in faith. If it’s His will, you’ll be on the ride of your life. Wonder what this could look like in your life? Read this: 3 Things Christians Need to Know About Ambition.
7. Commit to discipling your children.
The plan for discipleship in families is not in the church, but in the home. Which means when we take our role as pastors for our kids, we honor God. If you have kids, it is your responsibility, first and foremost, to teach them, to guide them, and to encourage them as they invest in their relationship with God. Want to read more on this? Read this: The Most Neglected Part of Parenting.
No Wrapping Paper Necessary
It doesn’t matter how pretty your prayers are or how systematic your Bible reading is. What matters is that you make these commitments to God and build habits around these things because these are things that matter to God. When we take part in these things, we give God the gifts He desires.
So, what are you waiting for? Will you join me in giving these gifts to God this Christmas and beyond?
What would you add? I’d love to hear what you have to add. Leave a comment below or connect with me on Twitter or Facebook.
Want More?
If this article resonated with you, subscribe to the blog. As a way of saying thank you, I have a gift to send you. It’s called Journey to Knowing God. It’s a 28-day daily devotional that features 4 audio sessions and 24 daily prompts. It will help you experience God in a real way every single day. Let’s connect!
