Morning Devotional

December 11, 2003

"White Elephant Gifts" 

by Don Emmitte

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For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. (John 3:16-17 NLT).

It’s that time of the year when many people plan for their office Christmas parties. We are a large enough organization that we have several such parties. Sometimes we exchange names and a gift at such parties. There are other times when the group is small enough that the practice of “White Elephant Gifts” is used to exchange gifts. I have always enjoyed those parties the most. One year I recall getting a bag of goldfish. Another gift was the singing “Billy Bass,” with a rendition of Throw Me Back in the River! There are always a few gifts that are in the mix that really are pretty nice. Those are the ones that everyone tries to exchange for.

There’s another gift exchange that is available to us. It is so unbalanced it is hard to believe. This exchange takes place when we believe and accept the fact that Jesus has died for our sins. We give him our sins, and He gives us His goodness and forgiveness. How totally unbalanced is that? I got everything wonderful and gave him my bag of sinful garbage. The Apostle Paul tells us that God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21). Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us. What an exchange that was! How loving a God we have! He is one who is willing to allow His son to suffer the pain of sin, bearing it so that we could be reconciled with our heavenly Father. It is an incredible gift of grace!

The most wonderful thing about God’s love is how constant it is toward us. I like the story told of how one day C. H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.” “I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”

If you have never participated in a real Christmas exchange, I encourage you to do so. Accept the gift of eternal life and forgiveness of sin that Christ himself will give you. It is certainly not an even exchange, but one that He offers with love so profound it is beyond our understanding.