Santa's Loot

I recently posted some pictures to my Facebook account showing the before and after photos of the playroom at our house. Before our big cleanup day, it was a wreck. It looked like Santa's workshop had exploded. After the cleanup, it was nice and clean, and hopefully it will stay that way. A friend of mine named Kay Kay Sharp wondered if it was a messy playroom or Santa's loot!

That makes me pose a question: how many others children wind up after Christmas with way too much in their possession. My mother-in-law said they're only little once; however, my theory is there should be a limit to how many toys that Mr. C can bring at this time of year. I keep having to clean up our house and take boxes and bags of toys to the basement because we have too many messes to clean up otherwise. Just to prove my point, I've posted some pictures of the before and after views. Tell me what you think.

For a better look at the pics, go to my account on facebook. You can view them in a larger size there. Enjoy!

The Greatest Gifts

Introduction

What is the greatest Christmas present you've ever received?

• Is it a big wheel?
  
• Is it a diamond ring?
  
• Is it a Barbie?
  
• Is it the complete set of Star Wars movies?
  

Whatever you might consider your greatest Christmas gift ever, we are very aware of the fact that we as Americans are extremely blessed with ample material possessions.

With so many people focused on gifts that we give and receive this holiday season, I wanted us to pause tonight and reflect on some of the greatest gifts we have ever received from our heavenly Father

1. He gave us His Son
   
   1. After the fall of mankind, the world needed reconciliation with God
      
      1. We had lost the perfect relationship
         
      2. Sin had reared its ugly head
         
      3. We needed a Savior
         
   2. It was prophesied as early as Gen. 3:15 about the coming Christ
      
      1. Isaiah 7:14 said "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel"
         
   3. At approximately thirty years of age He began His ministry
      
      1. He taught the people
         
      2. He healed the people
         
      3. He provided the perfect example for the people
         
   4. The climax of His time here was spent in agony as the Jews tried him and sent Him to suffer at the hands of the Romans
      
      1. The gospel accounts reveal that Jesus was mocked, beat, slapped, blasphemed, spat upon, scourged and crucified
         
      2. Jesus told the disciples in John 15:13…
         
      3. What a great gift He gave us in His Son
         
2. He gave us His Spirit
   
   1. Jesus had promised the apostles that after He left He would send the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit
      
      1. When the church was established that first Pentecost after the ascension of Christ, Peter made that promise to the multitude that those who obeyed the gospel after repenting and being baptized would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2:38-39
         
   2. We don't know much about the work of the Holy Spirit, but some things we do know:
      
      1. Those of us who are Christians have the indwelling of the Spirit – 1 Cor. 3:16
         
      2. The Spirit intercedes in our prayers for us when we don't know how to pray as we should – Rom. 8:26
         
      3. The Spirit serves as a seal of our promise and the pledge of our inheritance that we have a reward waiting for us – Eph. 1:13-14
         
      4. We are led by the Spirit in that we can bear fruit of the Spirit – Gal. 5:16ff
         
3. He gave us His Word
   
   1. We have in our hands 66 books written over a period of at least some 1,600 years
      
   2. We've got 1,189 chapters or 31,273 verses which God has blessed us with to read and study
      
   3. We have both Old and New Testaments
      
      1. The Old Testament contains the books of law, poetry, wisdom literature, prophecy and apocalyptic literature
         
      2. The New Testament, which contains the law we're under today through Christ, includes the gospel accounts, history of the church apocalyptic literature and letters to churches and dispersed Christians
         
   4. He gave us everything pertaining to life and godliness – 2 Pet. 1:3
      
   5. Truly we have a treasure in our hands which is an immeasurable gift from God
      

Conclusion

I want to challenge all of us as we exchange gifts this holiday season to remember what James said in 1:17: "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow"

Among some of the greatest gifts ever:

• He gave us His Son, which He sacrificed for our sins, because He wanted to renew a right relationship with us
  
• He gave us His Spirit, which is given to all who obey the gospel, showing we belong to Him
  
• He gave us His Word, which we have to guide our lives, so we can know what God expects of us
  

With all of these gifts, there are some responsibilities:

• We are to tell others about what His Son did for us
  
• We are to teach others how to bear fruit worthy of the Spirit
  
• We are to study God's Word and teach it to others
  

Is Christmas not a time of giving and receiving?

If you have received, then freely give the knowledge of these things to others so they can be blessed

'Preciate It!

I think all of us remember the story Jesus told of the ten lepers who were healed, only to have one come back and express appreciation (Lk. 17:11-19. He speaks of the others who did not come back to give God the glory in contrast to this one Samaritan who truly appreciated what was done for him. At this time of year, I can't help but make an analogy.

With Christmas being a time of year that we give and receive gifts, it is very easy to "depreciate the 'preciation." What I mean by that is sometimes we can forget to say thank you. I have to admit, I am not good at thank you's in general. When it comes to writing thank you notes, I am probably one of the worst ever. It's not that I'm ungrateful, but I do forget to express it like I should. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to write thank you cards for all of your Christmas presents. What I am saying is that we need to be very mindful of what we receive as gifts every day of our lives. Make sure to express your appreciation to those who have blessed you with something.

Who knows, when you say 'preciate it, you may even hear a 'preciate the 'preciation in return!

New Bible

I wanted to let everyone know about one of my early Christmas presents from Dianna. I was able to locate a good deal on an ESV Journaling Bible from Crossway. It just so happened that I ran across one on their website one day, and I liked the thought of having the two inches of lined margin space in which to write notes. I received it last Monday, and I am thrilled about it.

I typically use the NASB, but I like the ESV as well. I was wondering if any of you have tried the journaling Bible? The one I bought is premium calfskin, hardback and black. It's great! If you get some time, tell me which Bible version you're using now and why.