Imagine getting a present. In fact, imagine getting a lot of presents. Imagine a whole Christmas tree with dozens of presents underneath it and every single one of them is for you. You run up and you start to open them, and they are full of things that give you joy and things that bring you hope and things that bring you knowledge and things that encourage you and things that make you wealthier or more powerful or whatever it is that needs to be added to your life to make you better.

It is a happy scene - you and your Christmas tree and your presents. Now I want you to pause the scene, and zoom out. I want you to zoom out, and as you do, you'll see you're in a nice living room in a nice home. But now that you've zoomed out this far, if you push play again, you will start to hear some sounds beyond your wrapping paper ripping. Zoom out further, and you start to realize that your Christmas tree is in the middle of a war zone. You notice the rubble. And the fires. Over there is a makeshift hospital where people are moaning and crying. Men with guns are trying to kill each other and desperate mothers are crying for the children they may never see again.

Your house, your living room, your Christmas tree is in the middle of a war zone.

Now that you know that, you have two choices.

You can either take all these presents you've just opened and hide them - shut the windows, close the blinds, lock the doors, and don't let the outside know what you have so they don't ask for it. Keep it for yourself.

Or you can take your gifts and go make a difference with them.

Rewind the scene for me, if you will. Dig back through some of that discarded wrapping paper that your presents were wrapped in. Find a tag. To: You. From: God.

These gifts are your callings, and your callings come from God. To be a mother or father, employer or employee, teacher or student, leader or follower. These are amazing gifts, and when we receive amazing gifts we are excited to open them up and find out what they are. What are the callings that God has given you - and what will you do with them? How will you use them and fulfill them and grow in them? How will they surprise and delight and satisfy you?

Romans 12:1 | Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord. This is your spiritual act of worship.

- Pastor Kent Reeder

Gifts