Twelve Days of Christmas: Merry Christmas from Seeing Deep! - Denise Pass
2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJV)
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
On this Christmas Day after an extremely busy week, I wanted to take a few minutes to wish you all a Merry Christmas!
Last night culminated the end of a very hectic week, one that crowded out the finishing of the Twelve Days of Christmas countdown. Nonetheless, as I reflected on this amazing gift of Christ, thinking upon twelve of the things I have been most grateful for that He has given to us has blessed me this Christmas season, and I pray it has you, too.
So, there are a few more gifts to unwrap in this Twelve Days of Christmas wrap up . . . I left off with Day 7 . . .
Day 8 – the Holy Spirit
John 4:16
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.”
Often neglected in our places of worship is the Holy Spirit, indwelling all who have called on the Name of God and been saved.
There can be a lot of confusion about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and whether some have ceased and some continue, but in the fray of our confusion we miss the simplicity of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What a gift to have God come and fill us to overflowing! He is our friend, our confidant, our Helper in time of need. Holy and convicting us of sin and righteousness in our lives, He offers us a place of refuge within ourselves.
Lord, thank You for the deposit of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Thank You for never leaving us and for continuing to speak to us through Your Word and Your precious Holy Spirit.
Day 9 – Provision
Philippians 4:12, 19
” I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
It hurts to be in a place of need. So often we try to cover over that hurt or fill that longing with something that will “provide” temporary fulfillment, but El Roi, the God Who sees all, knows what we need before we even ask Him.
There is a sweet contentment that is learned when we recognize that the provision we are seeking might not be what we need, after all. Fear is replaced with a simple trust in our God Who provides sovereignly what we need when we need it.
The times of hurt, of not being able to go to the doctor or fix a car or maybe even buy groceries – might make us feel like we are fogotten, but not so with God. These times are instead gifts that cause us to look to our LORD to meet our every need through Jesus Christ.
At Christmas, we anticipate receiving and giving gifts. Sometimes we can be disappointed, when we had hoped for something different. Then God opens our eyes and instead of complaining over what we have not been given, we find a joy in Christ when we love and thank Him when we don’t get what we want.
Lord, You are sovereign – all knowing! Thank You for every gift You have given us, that we often take for granted. Thank You, too, for the gifts that You have not given to us, showing us our need of You.
Day 10 – Justice
Isaiah 30:18
“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.”
Job 16:19-20
“Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God.”
Being falsely accused and having to defend myself in court will remain one of the most horrific moments of my life, but even in those moments, when it seemed justice was no where to be found, I had an advocate in Heaven. He saw me and every tear He counted.
Whether we win or not down here, we ultimately win if we are in Christ. He is our ever-present help in time of need and for all eternity we will not receive the justice we deserved – the condemnation of our guilty souls.
Sweet liberty is ours in Jesus. What a gift His justice is for those Who recognize the gift of salvation and receive it.
Lord, thank You for Your mercy, triumphing over our transgressions and making us Your own. You are good and just all the time.
Day 11 – God’s promises – unopened gifts
2 Corinthians 1:19-20
“For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us–by me and Silvanus and Timothy–was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”
When in times of trouble, these gifts from God – His precious promises – are all we need. Promises from God are always kept, always remembered, always given to those who wait on Him.
Like unopened gifts waiting to be opened by His children, God’s promises stand firm and are ready to deliver at the right time.
Lord, thank You for the anchor in my soul that every one of Your precious promises has been. Thank you that You did not leave us without hope; a hope that does not disappoint like the world’s empty substitutes.
Day 12 – Himself
John 4:10
“Jesus answered her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.””
The greatest, most lavish gift ever given was God himself, in the flesh. We could not behold His face for He is holy and we are not, so He came in our form so we could understand.
We could not have fellowship with him for our sin separated us. So He laid down His life and took up our iniquities Himself.
We could not spend all of eternity with Him, so He paid our sin debt and covered over all of our sins so we could dwell with Him forever.
Oh God, forgive us when we get so busy we miss this gift of You every day in our lives. You are our treasure, available at all times to us, not just at Christmas or on Sundays. Help us to not neglect You, our greatest gift.
