b'Cowgirl With A PenDO YOU DESERVE A CHRISTMAS PRESENT?By Naomi LoomisPlease follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @thecirclelranch. Visit our website at thecirclelranch.com and send any comments to Loomis489@yahoo.com. I would love hearing from you.Please note that this post isntSecond, Gods gift came wrapped in rags and was judging anyone that gives orlaid in a feeding trough. Think about that. It is a receives presents. I am just sharing my thoughts. humbling thought. He wasnt wrapped in a pretty bow I ts December, which means that everywhere, everyor expensive paper. Jesus was born in a stable, in the straw. Gods gift to us, the ultimate gift of eternal life store and on every radio station, we are beingthrough His Son, Jesus Christ, came in the simplest serenaded with Christmas music. Its the Mostand humblest wrapping.Wonderful Time of the Year. Cue the record scratch. Wonderful? Third, do we deserve this gift? Think about who you give gifts to, those whom you care about, and those Well, Christmas should be the most wonderfulwho have been kind to you. We dont tend to give gifts time of the year, but often, instead of celebratingto the people that we dont really like, dont have a what matters, we all get caught up in our culturesrelationship with, or who we dont feel deserve it. Yet consumerist Christmas mindset. The stress starts longGod gave us his gift when we all were his enemies. before December and that stress stays with us all longHe didnt give this gift to us because we deserved it. It after youve left the mall. Then you wake up in Januarywas just the opposite of that. But God commendeth with a holiday spending hangover. Yuck. his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Roman 5:8)Friends, it doesnt have to be this way. We can all take a step back and turn our focus on Him. I know, its tough to go against the grain, but I think we should refocus and shift our perspective of what Christmas really means. I know it is going to take courage and faith. I get that. Everybody asks, What do you want for Christmas?What is your answer? A computer, a new horse, or is it just quiet time with our families? My goal is to turn the focus on Him while keeping less spiritual traditions in check. Do we really deserve a present? Didnt we already get the present of life? I dont know about you, but it seems to me that the idea of gift-giving can get carried away. I want to bring it back to the good ol day days. Dont you? Rather, than all theFourth, the gift tells us something about the giver. gifts, I want to remember the gift that God has givenThink about it, when you want to give someone a gift, to each of us. I want to give all year round. It really isyou start thinking about it ahead of time. You think the only gift that truly keeps on giving and giving, soabout what they like, what color they like, etc. When here are my four points: God decided to give us the gift of eternal life, he just didnt throw it at us. Long before there was a town First, Gods gift to us was a complete surprise. It wascalled Bethlehem, a garden called Eden, and a planet not expected, and as you examine it more carefully,called Earth, there was a decision that was made in you realize how great a gift it actually was. eternity that God would send forth. His only son was born to a woman that wasnt supposed to have kids. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)So Christmas isnt about those gifts that we may or may not receive. You see, those gifts are just things that we all know will be gone someday. We cannot take them to our graves. We all know that after this life the human soul will be the only thing that lives on. Life is about what happens beyond the grave. Life is about knowing the God who made you and me and who gave us the greatest gift you will ever receive.So think about it for a moment. Do you deserve a Christmas present? 14 December 2023'