Presents or Presence

It’s all about the presents!

When my children, Brian and Karen, were young their grandparents would make the 7 hour drive from Southern California to our home in Oakland to celebrate Christmas.  The kids would run excitedly out the front door as Grandma and Grandpa pulled up in the driveway in that big Ford LTD. Then, with great fanfare, the huge trunk would open stuffed to the gills with tons of beautifully wrapped boxes.  Wow! What fun and excitement as we carried all those presents into the house and placed them around the tree where they would spill out all over the floor.

The anticipation of opening all those presents brought joy to all of us, but was it really about the presents?  Why did Grandma and Grandpa make that trip? What did they really want? What they really wanted was our presence. They came all that way so that they could be with us, so that they could see the smiles on the grandchildren’s faces, so that we could all just be together.

It’s not just about the presents, it’s about the Presence!

God had that very same desire. We were so very far away, but he was willing to make that  long and costly trip because he so wanted to be with us and have the joy of bringing us gifts.

And, oh, the gifts he brought all beautifully wrapped in his love - the joy, peace, strength and calm assurance. Every good and perfect gift that we would ever need all wrapped up in his Presence. He smiles when we open the gifts he came so far to bring. It brings him great joy when we abide in him. He himself, is the very best gift of all. He, himself is that good and perfect gift that came down from heaven.

Lord, you extended and expended yourself to give us the gift of yourself and along with your presence every good and perfect gift that we will ever need. Let us open and receive those gifts today and especially enjoy your Presence this Christmas time.  Thank you for coming all that way and paying the price so that we can have the extreme joy of being with you.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down

from the Father of the heavenly lights.

James 1:17

God's Desires

If you need wisdom,

 ask our generous God, 

and he will give it to you. 

He will not rebuke you for asking.

 But when you ask him,

 be sure that your faith is in God alone.

 James 1:5,6

God has certain desires for his children. He wants to see us happy and fulfilled.  He wants us to prosper.  He wants us to experience his peace and rest.  He doesn't want us to be worried, harassed and frantic. He wants us to experience a sense of calm and security.

There are many things that try to rob us of these gifts. Sometimes, the stresses and strains of life cause us to look for relief in the wrong places, places that can never satisfy.  If we have a need, we should come to our generous God and ask.  He is the one who can give us all that we lack.  He wants us to come.  He wants us to ask.  He wants us to rest.  It is his joy, his good pleasure, to supply all of our needs.

What are you concerned about today?  Tell God about it.  He cares about you. He wants all of your needs to be supplied. He is not surprised by anything that has happened to you.  Put it into his hands and rest it there.

In God there is no hunger that needs to be filled,

 only plenteousness that desires to give.*

*C.S. Lewis (1996). “Joyful Christian”, p.195, Simon and Schuster ppl

The Joy of His Presence

For the joy that lay before him,

 he endured the cross,

 despising the shame,

 and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 CSB

Let's take time today to rest in his presence.  In his presence is fullness of joy. 

Joy comes from relationship with God and others. Because God wanted to have the joy of our company, Jesus endured a painful death.  Now we have a place in his presence. 

Some days we feel far away because of fear or guilt. Yet, he is still the same.  He is still there. Oh, for the return of those days of blessedness when we feel his presence - the warmth, peace and calm assurance.  It makes it so much easier for us to give the gift of loving presence away to others when we are experiencing it ourselves.

Lord, thank you today for the gift of your presence, for the gift of communion and fellowship.  I am so happy that you want to be with me.

Today, even if I have feelings of guilt or fear, may I still acknowledge that you are here.  Set me free so that I may come again into your presence where I can experience full fellowship with you and give it away to others.  Amen.

You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence 

and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalms 16:11 NLT