Ah, Christmastime! I remember writing my Christmas list as a child and continuing to add to that list. I could hardly wait until Christmas morning to see what was inside all of the beautifully wrapped boxes!
As an adult, I invest hours of my time searching for just the right gifts for family and friends. I’m always anxious to watch the recipient open their gift; I feel great when I chose a gift that the recipient loves. However, even the very best gifts that I wrap up and put under the tree won’t last forever. Some of those gifts will break or wear out over time. New clothes may not fit after all of the great holiday food, and if they do, they probably won’t be in style for too long. “Must have” toys, video games and movies will become boring after a while. Newer versions of electronic devices will be on the market before the user can totally master the ones they receive at Christmas.
How many gifts of Christmas past are simply gathering dust or taking up space in a cluttered closet? Maybe some of our “must-have” items aren’t really as important as we think. After all, we can’t take any of our belongings with us when our earthly bodies die, and our belongings can’t buy our way into heaven. In the end, Jesus is all that matters.
There is nothing wrong with giving or receiving gifts. In fact, giving gifts can be a reflection of God’s love and all that he blesses us with. He has given us so much, and it is only natural for us to want to give to others as well. The problem is when our gifts or possessions become more important to us than Jesus.
In Luke 18:18-29, a man asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life; he had kept God’s commands. Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The man became sad; wealth was the one thing that kept him from following Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t ask all of us to sell our belongings, but he does want to be our greatest desire. He doesn’t want anything to get in our way of following him. He wants our hearts to be set on eternal life with him in heaven and on sharing that message with others. How many precious souls will gain eternal life because you told them the Good News of the Gospel?
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~Jesus , Matthew 6:19-21