Does your gift satisfy you?

Brother's and sisters, first I want to wish you all very Merry Christmas.  I'd also like to encourage you to focus on your relationships this holiday season.  I've learned that gifts mean very little if the relationship is strained or even bad.  But that is not my topic today.

My topic today is about a choice we all will make.  It is rooted in eternity and it will determine our destiny.  We all know that Jesus is the reason for the season.  However, what is Christmas without the gifts.  Yes, the pretty wrapping paper, the excitement of opening the presents, the anticipation, and yes the disappointment.  Gifts are a critical part of Christmas.

Brothers and Sisters there is a war raging in places we cannot see and in ways we cannot understand.  But it is happening in us and around us.  The war is between the ruler of this world and the God of the universe.

Ephesians 6:12 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]

1 John 5:19 ESV / 11 helpful votes

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

The ruler of this world is not God.  Not yet.  This world belongs to our enemy and he is controlling it more completely everyday.  Brothers and sisters we have only to look in the newspaper, or TV news to see that the enemy in engaged in all out warfare on Christians.  He wants to discredit us, ridicule us, marginalize us, and make our beliefs so unattractive that no one would want to come to Christ.  

So, then, what does this have to with gifts----------everything.  Read on.

Our enemy has more gifts to give than the fat man himself.  Call him Satan Claus.  He is in the business of giving great gifts.  He is the ruler of this world and he will give you your hearts desire.  Because he knows the nature of the human heart----because it is his own nature.  

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV / 6 helpful votes

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Ephesians 2:3 ESV / 9 helpful votes

Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind

So the enemy of your soul knows exactly what your flesh wants.  And he will give it you to keep you satisfied and complacent.  He gives those gifts so they will become important in our lives.  He gives us things that become 'gods' to us, or 'idols.'  Ask yourself these questions:
Who gets more of your time, God or your Facebook friends?
Who gets more of your attention, God, or your iphone?
What is more important to you, spending time with your TV, or spending time with God?

I wont ask you what your answers are, but I can guess many of you want to punch me in the face right now.  

So, here is your choice.  Christ, who actually does own the place, came down to offer us an alternative gift.  He lived a perfect life and gave himself up as a sacrifice to give us a gift that we cannot redeem while we live.  His gift requires faith that if we believe and repent that we will have an eternal life in paradise with Him.  He offers it free, hence the term 'gift.'  We also know that the alternative to His gift is eternal damnation.  

Romans 6:23 ESV / 8 helpful votes

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The enemy's gifts are prettier, bigger, shinier, and more fun looking.  The problem with those gifts is that they have the illusion of satisfaction, but they cannot satisfy.  This is why Satan is always inventing new things (he must be exhausted).  The enemy understands that all of his gifts have a shelf life and sooner or later we will need a new idol.  So Satan Claus and his evil elves from hell are constantly at work on the creation of new idols.  

His gifts are like food.  You eat and are satisfied for a time, but you will get hungry again.  The gifts of the enemy always disappoint. Everything in this world is like that.  But Jesus says this:

John 4:13-15 ESV / 86 helpful votes

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

So here is the choice.  You can love this world and worship the things of this world and have a great time indulging your flesh, and go to hell.  Or, you can believe, repent, trust in Jesus and still enjoy your life and live in paradise for eternity.  

I've walked both roads.  I have followed after my flesh and I can testify that your flesh is never satisfied.  It always wants more and it will literally kill us to continue to feed it.  I walk with Jesus today.  And His words are true.  He satisfies fully and completely.  Nothing lacking, nothing missing.  He satisfies the soul.  

This year, consider opening the true gift of Christmas.  Consider doing the one thing you can do that will last forever and never cease to satisfy.  If you have already opened the gift of salvation, tell someone else about it.  Pray with them and guide them to receive the gift you already know is the best gift ever.