What in the world am I going to get my husband for Christmas?
My child wants the latest video game, but I can’t afford it!
I never know what to get my child’s teacher!
Anxiety, stress, wallet pains.
It’s that time of year where we search for the perfect gift for our loved ones. Some years ago, I shared my silly gift-giving guidelines with you (I hope they still make you smile). I’ve linked that post here if you’d like a quick chuckle. But all kidding aside—what do we give the King of kings?
What Does Jesus Want for Christmas?
I’ve been wrestling with this question the last few weeks. What do you give Someone who has everything—who made everything? He who created the magnificent heavens down to the tiniest flower doesn’t need anything.
Yet He wants me–all of me! And all of you!
So what does Jesus want for Christmas, practically speaking? What does giving ourselves to Him actually look like in everyday life?
Jesus Himself answered this when He gave the greatest commandment:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mk 12:30, emphasis added)
What Does Jesus Want for Christmas?
Your entire being!
We humans are complex beings with many facets—soul, spirit, heart, conscience, mind, flesh, and will. I like the way theologian, C. Ryrie, puts it:
Man is like a diamond with its many facets. Those facets are not separate entities, yet they reflect various aspects of the whole. They may serve similar or overlapping functions, yet they are distinguishable. They are not parts; they are aspects, facets, faces of the whole.1
If Jesus wants all of us for Christmas, it’s worth pausing to ask Him an honest question:
“Lord, is there any part of me that I haven’t fully given over to You?”
Let’s look at a few of these aspects.
Our Body
Is there any physical part of my body I haven’t surrendered to Him?
- Could I eat healthier?
- Could I exercise more consistently?
- Am I getting enough sleep?
- Is there an unhealthy habit I need to stop?
Not merely to feel better—but so I have more energy, clarity, and availability to serve God.
Our Mind
- Am I filling my mind with what is good, true, and Christ-honoring, or am I consumed with negativity, worry, or discontentment?
- Am I fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Heb 12:2), or on what I don’t have, don’t want, or don’t like?
- Am I reading, studying, and meditating on His Word—or just skimming it to check off a spiritual box?
Our Emotions
- Have I given Him control over my emotions, or do I allow them to lead me into sin?
- Am I letting fear keep me from witnessing to the lost?
- Am I allowing impatience to push me ahead of God’s timing?
- Are doubt or perfectionism preventing a step of faith?
Our Will
- Am I surrendering my desires to God’s desires?
- Have I taken back commitments I once made to Him?
- Am I choosing His way instead of my own in both small and big decisions?
So, What Does Jesus Want for Christmas?
My friends, I don’t know what Jesus wants you to give Him for Christmas, and I’m still asking Him what He wants from me—any part of my life that I haven’t wholly given to Him.
But let’s not get anxious or stressed out over it; nor be concerned with the cost (although that’s a tough one). Instead, let’s ask Him sincerely, with open hearts—and keep asking. He will answer. He always responds to prayers like that.
And let’s not forget to ask Him for help in actually giving it to Him—we’re going to need that too.
“So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” (Lk 11:9 AMP)
Related Resources
What Does It Mean to Love God with Our Whole Being?
What Are YOU Going to Give Jesus for Christmas This Year?
1 Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986, 1999), 225.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
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