Gifts for My King
This morning I was able to do my Bible study for this week and it was beautiful.
The title of it is “A Gift for the King.” During Christmas, we constantly think about what tangible gifts we need to give and even the gifts we will receive, but giving our loved ones lists. These gifts that we normally talk about are most often strictly from human to human. But what will we give OUR KING this Christmas?
The lesson was based off of John 13:1-17. I encourage you to read that passage before Saturday. It’s the story of Jesus washing His disciple’s feet. A true gift – Christ giving of himself to others – right before he was going to be betrayed, be crucified, and die on a cross. Ever wonder what was going through Jesus’ mind when He was washing the disciple’s feet? Shouldn’t HE be the one that was being served? He was going to DIE! He loved with every PART of Himself – He had shown the “full extent of his love.”
What does loving God with your “full extent” mean? That honestly brings me to tears because I know I do not love with my full extent. I have no excuse. I have to love God and others will all my being. I need to offer my body as a living sacrifice, love my enemies, don’t expect ANYTHING in return, serve one another, and reflect His love that God has for me. Christ showed love to it’s fullest by laying down His own LIFE. Am I willing to do that?
Jesus offered his service to His disciples willingly, even though God had put all things under his power. Yet he stripped himself of his clothes, put a towel around his waste, and washed feet. And I’m sure in that day, their feet didn’t look like our’s did. they didn’t have socks and shoes that covered their feet. Typically they wore more of a sandal – imagine the dirty water! Yet Christ washed them – to me that is the significance – I wonder why not the hands? But their feet were dirty, it was the bending down in service that offered the humility Christ wanted to represent. and be. No one ASKED Christ to do this. He had just gotten up from the table and started doing it. What am I too proud to do? What service am I too proud to receive? Do I refrain from serving someone just because I wasn’t asked to? Ouch. Guilty as charged. Would I have washed someone’s feet when the next day I was going to be executed? I can’t say I would have, and that’s not good. Those questions quite frankly were hard to read because I know I can find answers to them – I shouldn’t be able to find answers. I should be serving so willingly, with nothing holding me back!
Read Philippians 2:1-8 if you get a chance. To me, it’s the full definition of a servant. Christ became obedient to death – he made himself nothing – he didn’t expect anything in return. When I give people Christmas lists, because they ask for them, I honestly assume I will receive a gift. What if everyone who I gave lists to, just decided to not give me anything? I was thinking, isn’t that what we do to God? He gave us a “list” in the Bible of how to live as a true servant, and yet we often don’t “give” anything in return, and in fact, do the opposite. That breaks my heart to think that I don’t follow His commands when it comes to being a true servant. God has given us the gift of His Word and has given us commands on how to live, yet I don’t give the gift of the full extent of my love back?
BUT…when we serve God faithfully, we will be blessed, He will honor us, and will receive eternal glory, if we fix our eyes on the unseen.
To be honest, I never really thought about what “gifts” I give the King during the Christmas season. God wants ME – ALL OF ME as a gift. Not this conditional love stuff. He wants the “full extent of my love.” So what gifts am I giving my King this Christmas season?
This was such a challenging subject for me. I threw some of my thoughts and questions in there, just because it hit me right at the center of my heart. God is happy with me giving MYSELF this Christmas season. What am I going to do to serve Him this Christmas season?
