This week on Firmly Rooted Friday we have a guest writer, Jennifer Benitez. Jennifer reminds us of the most important gift of all, “LOVE”.
The season of LOVE … The most important gift.
By: Jennyfer Benitez
During my first Christmas morning as a newlywed wife, I recalled the warmth of the lights, our first Christmas tree decorated to perfection, and the brightly colored gifts that completed the scene. After a warm cup of coffee during a frigid winter morning with my husband, we turned our attention towards the giving of our gifts to one another for the first time as a family. Barely concealing my excitement I offered my husband his gift, and in the midst of our exchanges, he asked me, “Jenn, have you ever considered why we give gifts during Christmas?”
His question caught me off guard, “Well, isn’t that just the custom?” I asked. I never considered why we give gifts at Christmas because growing up, it was simply an expectation without explanation.
“We give gifts during Christmas to remember how God gave us His Son as a gift to humanity first. Christ is the gift. And through the giving of gifts to one another we imitate that truth and reflect upon both the Giver and the gift, which is Christ” he replied.
In this season, we celebrate the love that God our Father lavished upon on us through his Son (Romans 8:29).
The greatest gift is the perfect Son of God humbling himself for our sake to live the life we could not and die the death that we deserved (Romans 5:8-9). There is no greater picture of truth than this nor a higher calling we can aspire to than to declare this to the world. Reflect deeply this season on the love that the Lord has shown you both in the past and during the present and know that He is faithful to continue proving His love towards you far off into the future through His son Jesus.
In this season of LOVE let us be:
Patient following the example of our heavenly Father (Psalm 86:15)
Kind to everyone (Galatians 6:10)
Humble, recognize our limitations and weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12: 9)
Modest, let’s be sober-minded about ourselves (Romans 12: 3; 1 Timothy 2: 9-10)
Kind, that our words and actions encourage others (Proverbs 31:26; Hebrews 13: 1-2)
Generous, share our time, affection and money (Proverbs 11:25; 2 Corinthians 9:11)
Forgiving of the faults of others, remembering that we were forgiven (Ephesians 4:32, Proverbs 17: 9)
Rejoicing in the truth (1 Chronicles 29:10-13; Revelation 1:4-6)
Are you ready to share the LOVE this Christmas?
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
Did you miss the any of our Firmly Rooted Friday Advent posts, “When God Steps into Hope” , “Peace on Earth“, and “It’s the Season of Joy“.
Meet Guest Author, Jennyfer Benitez
Jennyfer has contributed her article to Planting Roots for the Advent and Christmas season. Jennyfer and her husband are stationed at Fort Leavenworth, KS. She lived in Puerto Rico, where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and met her husband Raymond. Jennyfer was raised in the ways of the Lord but it wasn’t until college that she had a true encounter with the truth of the gospel. She enjoys writing, the quiet of a sunny afternoon and a good cup of coffee.
