Day 9, GIFT #9 – Give the gift that is intended to be re-gifted

I read about a family who, with great humor, has been sending the same Christmas fruitcake to each other over many years. And, obviously, it's been a lot fun just re-gifting it. I imagine it's pretty stale by now, good thing no one plans to actually eat it.

 Lots of people regift

According to a Cosmo poll, 67 percent have re-gifted a present…but only 6 percent have ever been caught doing so.

Re-gifting God’s gift to you

There is a wonderful gift that is meant to be re-gifted, and that gift, from God to you, is the biggest gift of all time. It's called, the gospel, which literally translated, means “good news.”

“The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)

“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matt. 10:8)

God gave His gift because of His love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only born Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Matt. 15:16)

How to give the gift to others

Keep in mind that you have the most valuable, wonderful, life changing gift to share with others that has ever been given! And, your positive, happy (even thrilled) attitude should reflect it! It is not only the “good news,” it's the greatest news! And you get to share it!

You can share the Good News …

• With your smile. You have so much to be glad about and it should be reflected with a pleasant happy smile. “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.” (Prov. 15:13)
• With your conversation. Take the opportunity to say, “Merry Christmas” to people. You may be surprised how many will react positively when you do. It's not “politically correct,” you may get a little push back from a few, but most people will welcome the greeting enthusiastically. It could even open interesting opportunities for youto share about Jesus being the reason for the season. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.
• With Christmas cards. There are so many wonderful Christmas cards available today, especially from your Christian book store. The Christmas story is wonderfully told on and within Christmas in many beautiful ways. You can also include some great Bible verses on your Christmas cards to shine a spotlight on your relationship with Christ.
• With your decorations. Your decorations in your home and yard reflect what you think about the Christmas season. You can design them to show the joys of thes eason. There is a song I really like, written by William Tyndall and made popular by Evie Carlson, during the 1980’s. Some of the lyrics are, “Come on ring those bells, light the Christmas tree! Jesus is the King, born for you and me. Come on ring those bells, everybody say, ‘Jesus we remember this, your birthday.'”

 Keep it simple and uncomplicated

Whatever you do, keep in mind that sharing should be as simple as one beggar telling another beggar where to find some free bread. If you are truly excited about Jesus, it should be a part of who you are and everything you do.