CHRISTMAS IS FOR GIVING OR IS THAT FORGIVING

12/11/88
CHRISTMAS IS FOR GIVING OR IS THAT FORGIVING?
JOHN 3: 16
(PAGE 1554 "COME ALIVE BIBLE")
JESUS CHRIST is Heaven's love-gift to you. "For God so loved,"
that is He loved so, "that He gave His only begotten Son..."
That is unselfishness at its best.
The wise men came to celebrate His birth bearing gifts. The
spontaneity of their love was a reflection of the love of God.
Giving and gifts have been a part of Christmas ever since.
Don't you love gifts? Isn't it a joy to give one? Don't you
delight to get one? I would like to be a great gift-giver ---
wouldn't you? Somehow mine don't ever seem to be quite right
even though my heart is.
Have you ever given or received a gift that later you realized
wasn't quite as appropriate as you first thought.
I remember one of the most unusable gifts I ever received. I was
in the fourth grade. We drew names in school to give gifts.
Remember now I was about ten at the time. The little girl that
drew my name gave me a green plastic double-edged shaving razor.
I put it up to wait about four or five years to use.
I remember one of the most unsuitable gifts I ever gave. Our
football team asked me to select a gift for the lady who had let
us use her cow pasture in which to practice. I chose a cream
pitcher. After all it was a cow pasture. It was a black and
white sitting cow with its mouth open. If you picked it up by
the handle, which was its tail, cream could be poured out of
themouth. That was bad enough, but the worst part was that upon
close examination the cream pitcher wasn't a cow but a bull.
I saw one of those little things recently. The ...

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