OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT TO GOD.

Christmas is a perfect time to remember the fact that God always initiates to us first. God initiated His love to us by allowing Jesus to be born as a baby at Bethlehem. God initiates: we respond.

With prayer, God has initiated a 24/7 communication link between Himself and us. He now waits for us to utilise this gift to enable a two-way relationship of love to develop between Himself and us.

Christmas also reminds us of the importance of both giving and receiving gifts and we all benefit from both activities.We love to give gifts: we also love to receive them.

God has provided many gifts to us when we pray. However, God also loves to receive back from us too. We have the ultimate privilege of giving to God, through prayer.

What are the gifts which God loves to receive when we pray?

We give Him:

* Praise and adoration for what an awesome God He is.

* Our thanks for the wonderful ways in which we see Him at work in our world, in the lives of our friends and in ourselves.

* An important priority in our lives, by setting aside time to be alone with Him.

* Our whole selves ~ our hopes, dreams, plans, secrets, longings.

* The opportunity to work in process with Him to forgive those who have hurt or wronged us.

* A sure signal that we are placing our trust and faith in God, recognising that we do not have all the answers ourselves.

* Our gift of humility, acknowledging increasingly our completel dependence on Him.

* The abandonment of ourselves to the fulfilment of God's purposes for our lives, and not our own.

* A sign to God that we desire to pursue holiness and that we are prepared to be changed or transformed as He would see best.

As we remember the Christmas story afresh, and the Wise Men who brought frankincense, which was a type of incense. Prayers are like incense to God ~ a beautiful perfume which rises to greet him and which always pleases Him. He offers gifts to those who pray. Likewise, as we respond through prayer, we are able to offer our whole lives to our Lord to give Him the gift of relationship for which He has made us.

(c).2006. Christine M. Jones.

Droplets from Life: http://www.dropletsfromlife.blogspot.com