Christmas season is here. And so expect people telling you, “Akong pinaskuhan” (My Christmas gift), if you greet them “Merry Christmas.” Or, in the middle at the night, when you are sleeping, someone would text you with these words: “Ayaw lang pusta ang akong pinaskuhan” (Just don’t wrap my Christmas gift).
When I was still in high school, we usually had this thing called “exchange gifts.” We had to draw lots from a bowl with names of our classmates as to whom we had to gift our gift and who would give us. In later years, nicknames were written on the piece of paper and we didn’t know who the person was whom we would give our gift (only our teacher knew the secret!).
The history of gift giving during Christmas reported started when the “Magi from the east” where looking for Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem. When they found Him, they bowed down and presented the Little Boy with gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.
History recorded no exact number as to how many people who brought gifts to the Child. However, three kings or three wise men were used in recent years because of the kinds of gifts that were given. And these gift givers found the Babe not in the manger but in the house; check Matthew 2:11 for that. After all, it was already three years since the star had appeared to them.
To think of: they never exchange gifts; they gave them to the King of the Jews. The story of the wise men inspired O. Henry (William Sydney Porter in real life) to write the classic short story, “The Gift of the Magi.”
If you remember the story, Della sold her beautiful hair in order for her to buy the chops for her husband’s watch as her Christmas gift. But Jim sold his watch so he could buy combs for his wife’s hair.
O. Henry ended his story with these words: “The wise men invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest.”
A gift is something you receive from a person who gives it to you. It is not something you work for. Otherwise, if you work for that gift then it is no longer a gift but a salary or remuneration. It is a gift, nothing more, nothing less.
Oftentimes, I hear some remarks about a person being given gifts. “I’ve given him the shirt off my back and now look what he has done to me,” someone said. Another complained, “I’ve given him the best years of my life and look what I get in return.” If you bestow a gift or a favor and expect a return for it, it is no gift at all but a trade.
Give what you can; the Lord will give you more, so goes a line of a song. There are three kinds of givers – the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint (a very hard siliceous rock), you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks.
To get water out of a sponge, you must squeeze it, and the more pressure you use the more you will get. But honeycomb is very different from the two; it just overflows with its own sweetness. So, which are you are as a giver?
A farmer is applying to join an organization and appears before the official to answer questions as to his worthiness. “If you two dogs, will you give one of them away?” “If you have two goats, will you give one away?” “If you have two houses, will you give one away?” In all these questions, the farmer answers positively. Finally, the official asks the last question: “If you have two carabaos, will you give one away?” The farmers replies, “No, I couldn’t do that.” The official wonders and asks, “Why not?” Without hesitation, the farmer answers, “Because I have two carabaos.”
We ought to give. And when we give, don’t murmur or feel displeased. We should give with open hearts. As the Bible states, “It is better to give than to receive.” One poet penned: “Give, though you gift be small, still be a giver; out of the little fount proceeds the river. Out of the river’s gifts gulfs soon will be pouring their waters out, making a sea. Out of the sea again Heaven draws its showers, and to the fount imparts all its new power. Thus in the circle born, gifts roll around, and in the blessings given, blessing is found.”
Give while you are still living. That way, people will still remember you even when you are gone. It is a common saying that a pig is good for nothing while the animal is alive. A pig cannot be ridden like a horse or can provide clothing like a sheep or milk like a cow. A pig cannot even guard the house like a dog. A pig is only good for slaughter. The same is true with a rich man; he doesn’t any good with his riches while he is still alive.
Have you ever stopped to think that Christ never gave anyone money? The riches of the world were His for the taking, and His to give away, yet when the poor and the hungry came to Him, He didn’t give them money, and He rarely gave them food. Instead, He gave them love and service and the greatest gift of all – Himself.
This Christmas season, don’t take for granted the greatest gift of them all. It is only by receiving Him in your life that you will have an eternal life. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
When I was still in high school, we usually had this thing called “exchange gifts.” We had to draw lots from a bowl with names of our classmates as to whom we had to gift our gift and who would give us. In later years, nicknames were written on the piece of paper and we didn’t know who the person was whom we would give our gift (only our teacher knew the secret!).
The history of gift giving during Christmas reported started when the “Magi from the east” where looking for Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem. When they found Him, they bowed down and presented the Little Boy with gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.
History recorded no exact number as to how many people who brought gifts to the Child. However, three kings or three wise men were used in recent years because of the kinds of gifts that were given. And these gift givers found the Babe not in the manger but in the house; check Matthew 2:11 for that. After all, it was already three years since the star had appeared to them.
To think of: they never exchange gifts; they gave them to the King of the Jews. The story of the wise men inspired O. Henry (William Sydney Porter in real life) to write the classic short story, “The Gift of the Magi.”
If you remember the story, Della sold her beautiful hair in order for her to buy the chops for her husband’s watch as her Christmas gift. But Jim sold his watch so he could buy combs for his wife’s hair.
O. Henry ended his story with these words: “The wise men invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest.”
A gift is something you receive from a person who gives it to you. It is not something you work for. Otherwise, if you work for that gift then it is no longer a gift but a salary or remuneration. It is a gift, nothing more, nothing less.
Oftentimes, I hear some remarks about a person being given gifts. “I’ve given him the shirt off my back and now look what he has done to me,” someone said. Another complained, “I’ve given him the best years of my life and look what I get in return.” If you bestow a gift or a favor and expect a return for it, it is no gift at all but a trade.
Give what you can; the Lord will give you more, so goes a line of a song. There are three kinds of givers – the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint (a very hard siliceous rock), you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks.
To get water out of a sponge, you must squeeze it, and the more pressure you use the more you will get. But honeycomb is very different from the two; it just overflows with its own sweetness. So, which are you are as a giver?
A farmer is applying to join an organization and appears before the official to answer questions as to his worthiness. “If you two dogs, will you give one of them away?” “If you have two goats, will you give one away?” “If you have two houses, will you give one away?” In all these questions, the farmer answers positively. Finally, the official asks the last question: “If you have two carabaos, will you give one away?” The farmers replies, “No, I couldn’t do that.” The official wonders and asks, “Why not?” Without hesitation, the farmer answers, “Because I have two carabaos.”
We ought to give. And when we give, don’t murmur or feel displeased. We should give with open hearts. As the Bible states, “It is better to give than to receive.” One poet penned: “Give, though you gift be small, still be a giver; out of the little fount proceeds the river. Out of the river’s gifts gulfs soon will be pouring their waters out, making a sea. Out of the sea again Heaven draws its showers, and to the fount imparts all its new power. Thus in the circle born, gifts roll around, and in the blessings given, blessing is found.”
Give while you are still living. That way, people will still remember you even when you are gone. It is a common saying that a pig is good for nothing while the animal is alive. A pig cannot be ridden like a horse or can provide clothing like a sheep or milk like a cow. A pig cannot even guard the house like a dog. A pig is only good for slaughter. The same is true with a rich man; he doesn’t any good with his riches while he is still alive.
Have you ever stopped to think that Christ never gave anyone money? The riches of the world were His for the taking, and His to give away, yet when the poor and the hungry came to Him, He didn’t give them money, and He rarely gave them food. Instead, He gave them love and service and the greatest gift of all – Himself.
This Christmas season, don’t take for granted the greatest gift of them all. It is only by receiving Him in your life that you will have an eternal life. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
