Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Luke 2:16, “And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.”

Background

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. You may or may not recognize that unusual and paltry amount of money as all that belonged to one Della Young. Mrs. Young was the wife of James Dillingham Young, whom she loved with all her heart. And it was that love that moved her to tears as she counted her dollar and eighty-seven cents for the third time. Though she had saved and saved for months, there was not a penny more, and the next day would be Christmas. What could she buy for this measly amount that could begin to express the honor of being Jim’s wife? By now, you probably realize that Jim and Della are the struggling, young couple from the O. Henry classic The Gift of the Magi. And so, you know how Della went out and sold her one precious possession, her beautiful, brown, knee-length hair to buy a Christmas gift for her husband. Her gift turned out to be a gold chain for his pocket watch, his one precious possession that had belonged to his father and grandfather before him. But in his endeavor to express his love for Della, Jim had sold his watch to buy the expensive combs that she had loved for a long time but had never hoped to own. And now, here they were, on Christmas Eve, with combs and chain in hand, without Jim’s watch and without Della’s hair.

Application

The sacrifices of each had left their marks. As O. Henry explained, “Love and large-hearted giving, when added together, can leave deep marks.” The magi came to Jesus with gifts from afar. The shepherds came to him with nothing. But each brought to Him that which He desires, the devotion and worship of a king who invented love and large-hearted giving. And no marks of love and giving have been deeper than those felt by Jesus on the cross. So whether it’s a dollar and eighty-seven cents, gold and frankincense, or dust from the fields, it’s not the gift that counts. Nothing you can give can flatter the Creator. It’s the giver that God wants. Give him yourself. That’s the real gift of the magi.

Charge

As we seek Him today, give God this moment and the next. And then just keep going from there.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words