WITH THIS GIFT

Today's reading: Deuteronomy 26-28

"When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession and you have conquered it and settled there, put some of the first produce from each harvest into a basket and bring it to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. Go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, With this gift I acknowledge that the Lord your God has brought me into the land he swore to give our ancestors." Deuteronomy 26:1-3 NLT

It's truly a gift giving season, wouldn't you agree?

Gifts are purchased, or made, wrapped, or bagged, given, or shipped, to our friends and family. 

We set snacks out for the UPS drivers who deliver our Amazon packages.

We take trays of cookies over to the neighbors down the street.

We exchange gifts with co-workers.

We purchase and give what we believe our loved ones will like or want or need.

But what about God in this gift giving season? What can we give Him?

I don't think it was coincidental that I am reading the words of Deuteronomy 26 this morning. Words written about the tokens of appreciation, love and thanks that the Israelites would give to God once they were in the Promised Land.

Gifts from their new land.

Presents their endurance, and His faithfulness, allowed to spring up from the ground.

Prophesied offerings of the very fact that God does what God says He will do.

Ever paused to offer Him a gift from the place He now has you?

A gift from your abundance. An offering of praise in your pain. A donation in His honor amidst all the doubts you are wrangling in your heart and mind. Something, anything, you can bestow upon Him for all He has done for you.

Could we take a few moments out of our busy, gift-giving season to stand before Him and say, "With this gift I acknowledge that the Lord my God has brought me to this place"?