Happy Monday

A Gift for Him

By Suzie Eller

"Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God..." Psalm 50:14a (NLT)
I love presents. It's not about what is in the package, but unwrapping the surprise and knowing a loved one thought of me when they chose it.

I also love giving gifts. Recently I found a very old package of baseball cards at an estate sale. They were less than five dollars, and I know they will light up my son's face when he opens his stocking on Christmas day.

As Christmas approaches, gift giving is on our minds. We draw names. We plan out the Christmas list. Some of us get up before the sun to find incredible sales.

But as the actual day approaches, there is one gift we can give that is meaningful.

We can thank God.

Long before the cross, people labored to find the perfect gift to give Him. They brought sacrifices to honor God, but in Psalm 50:14a we hear a plea: "Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God..." It is a heart plea of a God who desires an intimate relationship with His people.

What could happen if this Christmas we offered Him exactly what is on His list?

I believe it would shift our heart away from our stressful to-do lists to thank Him for all the miracles around us.

God, thank You for my child who is healthy.

Thank You for my husband who loves us all so well.

Thank You for this hot meal prepared by hands of love.

God, have I told You how grateful I am for the warm home and covers to sleep under at night?

As we begin to offer our gifts of thankfulness, like layers of sparkling tissue paper, more is revealed beneath. We dig deeper to see all that we've received.

Thank You, God, that You saw me as a young teen and showed me love.

Thank You for that time at my son's hospital bed that You helped me make it through one more night.

Thank You for the time I needed mercy and found it in Your presence.

Christmas is a celebration of the ultimate gift, but family, finances, or just plain ole stress can cause this special day to dim. Offering up a gift of thankfulness has the power to give those things their rightful place as gratitude rises to the top.

Will you join me between now and December 25th to hold up a daily gift of thanks to Him?

Dear Lord, Christmas often gets lost in all the busyness and details, but for today I will stop and offer you a gift. I am grateful for all the good things You have given. Help me to celebrate this season with a heart of gratitude. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION 

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

   Refrain

     Ask the Savior to help you,
     Comfort, strengthen and keep you;
     He is willing to aid you,
     He will carry you through.

Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s Name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true,
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

   Refrain

To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown;
Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down;
He Who is our Savior our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

   Refrain

Daily Smile:
The man charged into the jewelry shop, slammed his fists angrily on the showcase, removed a wristwatch from his pocket and shook it under the nose of the owner. “You said this watch would last me a lifetime,” he yelled.

 “Yeah,” admitted the owner. “But you looked pretty sick the day you bought it.” 

In The News:

Coptic Christians Ask Free World to Cut Ties With Egypt Under Morsi
The founder of an international group of advocates for the equality and rights of Coptic Christians is appealing to the leaders of democratic nations to cut any ties with Egypt, the Christian Post reports. "We demand that world leaders withdraw their recognition of Egypt's phony 'pro-democracy' leader, Mr. Morsi, who is backed by the illegal Muslim Brotherhood party," said Dr. Ashraf Ramelah, president of Voice of the Copts, which is attempting to thwart president Mohammed Morsi's regime from implementing a primarily Islamic-based constitution. Coptic organizations around the world, including the U.S.-based Egyptian Front for National Salvation and Coptic Solidarity have been making similar appeals since Morsi issued a new constitutional declaration in which he granted himself sweeping powers and placed himself above judicial review. Thousands of Egyptians within the country continue to protest against Morsi's regime, and the government is bracing for likely mass demonstrations of both opponents and supporters of Morsi ahead of the Dec. 15 constitutional referendum.

U.S.: North Korea Missile Test 'Highly Provocative Act'
The White House called a long-range missile test by North Korea a "highly provocative act" that threatens regional security, CBN News reports. On Tuesday, North Korea announced the successful test of the Eunha-3 long-range rocket, which traveled directly over Okinawa before falling 180 miles north of the Philippines. The regime said it fired the missile to test technology to put a satellite in orbit, but the U.S. believes it's a cover to test missile technology. With further development, such a weapon could one day carry a nuclear warhead and potentially reach as far as California. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told CNN he was "very confident" that if North Korea were to launch a missile at the United States, the U.S. military could guard against it. However, Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said North Korea "could sell this technology to others, including Iran and Pakistan, who have been regular customers of North Korea's other missiles. They still have other technological thresholds to cross, but this was undeniably a major one." Iran on Wednesday praised North Korea's move.