It’s What’s Inside That Counts by Bob Jones

The journal was ordinary. Leather cover. Lined pages. Lightweight. The inscription on the inside cover made it extraordinary. That Christmas was seven years ago. The gift comes to mind immediately in reflecting on an experience when God reminded me that He was with me.  

 

As our family grew larger through marriage and grandkids, we adopted new Christmas traditions. One year we drew names and were to purchase a gift for that person. Our daughter-in-law, Angie, drew my name. The journal was a gift from her. She inscribed the inside cover with encouragement to keep on writing,

 

“Dad. Another year, another glimpse into your journey. We pray you are blessed beyond measure.”

 

The inscription was signed by Angie, our son and their three daughters.

 

Angie knew that I keep a journal and write every day. Her gift was thoughtful in so many ways, not the least of which was the inscription. I define success as: those who know me the best love me the most. The inscription was love in black on white.

 

Inscriptions or dedications in books can say a lot with a little. When I'm asked to sign a book I inscribe the title page with something meaningful for the person. Their name. The date. And an encouraging comment suited to their circumstance.

 

Some authors are creative with their inscription. The following four inscriptions caught my attention.

 

Lemony Snicket, “The Reptile Room”

“It is very unnerving to be proven wrong, particularly when you are really right and the person who is really wrong is the one who is proving you wrong and proving himself, wrongly, right. Right?”

 

Robb Hobb, “Ship of Magic”

“To caffeine and sugar, my companions through many a long night of writing.”

 

Sean Carroll, “The Particle at the End of the Universe”

“To Mom,
Who took me to the library.”

 

Victor Wooten, “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music”

“WARNING

Everything in this book

may be

all wrong.

But if so,

it’s

all right!”

 

Think about the name of our writers’ group. Inscribe Writers. Our friendships, collaboration, the Inscribe posts, and the comments made on those posts are ways of inscribing on each other’s lives. We create support for each other.

The Apostle Paul had a similar sentiment in mind when he wrote to the believers in Corinth, “You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone.”

2 Corinthians 3:2 (The Berean Standard Bible)

 

Paul insists he has the best kind of recommendation letter: the Corinthian Christians themselves. The transformation in them, from pagans to followers of Jesus, is all the evidence he will ever need that his ministry as Christ's representative is the real thing.

 

The best recommendation of Inscribe writers is each other. Our stated purpose is to minister to Canadian Christian writers by stimulating, supporting, and encouraging them in the advancement of their writing. In 2023 our tribe will increase as we pour ourselves into each other and those who become associated with us.

 

Words matter. Especially at Christmas when the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” God is with you this Christmas and will be in the year ahead.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Bob Jones writes to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose. You can follow his writing at REVwords.com

Beyond the Basic Wish List by Sharon Espeseth

Free Image of Sears Wish Book

Depending on your age, my readers, you may be familiar with Eaton’s or Sear’s Christmas Wish Book. You may remember times in your childhood, or your children’s childhood, when the arrival of the Christmas Wish Book delivered delight and anticipation to your home.

Unsplash Photo by

Annie Spratt

Now, in a more senior season of my life, I am looking forward to the coming of Christmas, still with delight and anticipation, but knowing full well that I don’t need the toys, jewels, or clothes that once turned my head.











What Do I Want for Christmas?




Any time with family is a special time. At Christmas this is especially important. The presence of family is a true gift--one for which we give thanks. Being with and connected to family and loved ones at Christmas is something one can never take for granted.


This Christmas I also want to be mindful of the gifts God gives us--the important, everlasting gifts, like unconditional love, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. These are gifts, but we need to claim them. St. Paul tells the Ephesians, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)





Spiritual Bonuses

Besides these overwhelming, destiny-changing presents, God gives us spiritual snacks and supports for our heavenward journey. If we want to live abundantly, or travel first-class, we merely need to ask. Jesus reminds us that, compared to earthly fathers who want to give good gifts to their children, God the Father has more resources for giving gifts to those who ask. The gift, may or may not be a new car, but God knows what we truly want and need before we ask.

Praying for the Holy Spirit would be a wise choice. Christ promised he would send the Holy Spirit to be with us and comfort us. If we ask, the Comforter will bring us all kinds of gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

Promises, Promises. . .

God promises blessing to make our lives more abundant. We’ve all heard, "Promises, Promises. . . ,” sarcastically spoken. But God delivers on his promises. In all circumstances, God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)

We’ll still have our hills and valleys, but God can take care of this too. Isaiah prophesies that every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. (Isaiah 40:4)

Then there are times when God in his wisdom sees that it is better to leave us with our impediments. Paul pleaded with the Lord to take away his “thorn in the flesh,” but the Lord replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Grace is another promised gift that is ours for the asking. God’s grace doesn’t depend on our strength or worthiness.

Be Careful What You Ask For

Solomon, young and anxious about becoming king, asked God for “a discerning heart to govern (God’s) people” and “the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.” God was so enthused about his request that he promised Solomon he would be wiser than anyone before him and anyone after him. God’s gift of wisdom made Solomon’s reign unforgettable.

We too can ask for wisdom. In the New Testament, James advises us that if we feel lacking in wisdom, we should ask God. (James 1:5)

Jesus tells us we only need to ask and then we will receive. (Matthew 7:7-8) James warns his new-Christian readers, “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:2b-3)

How Do We Ask for Worthy Gifts?

Jesus taught us how to ask for worthy gifts. We begin our prayer with praise and honour to God, Our Heavenly Father. Then we ask for our daily needs. It is wise to ask for deliverance from evil. We can ask forgiveness, but Jesus reminds us that we should also be willing to forgive those who wrong us.

How Can We Grow in Our Spiritual Lives?

Regularly “eating” our spiritual fruits will make life easier. Reading God’s Word and praying will help us grow. Asking for help to be more loving, joyful, patient and kind will foster better relationships with others. Although we can’t regulate how others treat us, we can ask for control over our reactions.

Satisfaction Guaranteed?

By appreciating God’s gifts, we will store up treasures in heaven where thieves can’t get at them. Fancy clothes, furniture, vehicles, gourmet foods--maybe these aren’t the big-ticket items. Christ says, “Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? (Matthew 6:25b) Still, Jesus suggests we ask for “our daily bread.” And if we love our neighbour as ourselves, we will share what we have with those who are in need.

As Christ followers, we will be happier if we seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness first. The rest will be added on. (Matthew 6:33) The real gifts are the ones that bring us closer to God, closer to our brother and sister, and closer to heaven.

One of the greatest gifts is our adoption into God’s family. As God’s children, we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. To share in his glory, however, we are expected to appreciate and share in Christ’s sufferings. (Romans 8:17)

Thank You Notes

With all these spiritual gifts available, let’s remember always, and maybe especially at Christmas, to be grateful that God sent his only Son to come into the world to live among us and to die for our sins. Let us rejoice and be glad that God planned so well for us, his children.

Creche Scene at St. Anne’s Catholic Church
in Barrhead

Paul advises, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) These gifts that come down from the Father are the good and perfect ones. (James 1:17) Choose well, my friends, and we will be ready to greet Emmanuel when he comes.

Prayer: During this busy, but holy season, Lord, I pray you will teach us to judge earthly matters wisely, to set spiritually meaningful priorities, and hold firmly to heavenly matters. Bless each of our InScribe colleagues and their families and loved ones, especially during this season, when we welcome Christ Emmanuel into our hearts and homes. Amen. 



* Scripture verses are from the New International Version of the Bible.

Revised by Sharon from previous iterations published in Our Family, Offerings in The Edmonton Journal 

Gift(s) of Everlasting Life by Sharon Espeseth

Everlasting and Eternal Gifts

This Christmas I'd like spiritual gifts for myself, my loved ones, and anyone really. . . Using the Bible as our catalogue, we will find an abundance of things free for the asking--God's love, forgiveness, salvation and eternal life. We, created by God, can admit we need help.







Emmanuel: God with Us

God loved us so much He sent His Son to be our Emmanuel,  God living with us. People thought God's Son would be a political king or a man of means. Instead He came as a baby, born of a young virgin, engaged to Joseph, a descendant of David. The angel Gabriel came to Mary and explained the role God wanted her to take in His plan. Mary couldn't know what this meant in the future, but she trusted God and became the vessel to bring God's son to us. Joseph accepted his call to be Jesus' earthly father.


Jesus Begins His Ministry

We don't read much of Jesus' life until the Wedding at Cana, where Mary asked her son to turn water into wine. The hosts had run out of wine. Jesus performed His first miracle--turning water into wine, and He did it for his mother and as a kindness to the wedding party.

Fully human and fully divine, Jesus needed to spend time with His Heavenly Father. While Jesus,  was with us, He taught us how to relate to God and how to relate to our fellow human beings.

In Mark 12:30, we read the New Commandments Jesus gave. First, Jesus says, "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength." Secondly, "Love your neighbour as yourself." Not only did Jesus give us these new commandments, but he also practiced them in daily life.

God's Son was tempted and tested, like we are, but even more so. The Pharisees and Sadducees watched his every move and asked questions to "trick" him into saying he was the Messiah, the Son of God. Admitting his divinity would be considered blasphemous and then they would have reason to kill him.

In the meantime, Jesus walked among ordinary people like us and talked to people of any race, creed, or moral standing. He visited and ate with tax collectors, prostitutes,  lawyers, and common people in all walks of life.

Loving Us As We Are

One example of His acceptance is the story of Jesus asking the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. Jesus stepped over the "rule" that Jews didn't talk to Samaritans. The woman expressed her surprise

"If you knew the gift of God."

at Him, a Jew, asking her, a Samaritan for a drink. (Story in John 4:7-42.)

Jesus replied, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed the water I give will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Jesus told this common  woman that He was the Messiah. She believed and went to tell the people of her town what had happened. By her testimony, they also believed. Jesus didn't talk to the leaders of the town, he spoke to a woman he knew had had five husbands and she wasn't married to the man she presently lived with.

The Gift of Eternal Life

When it was God's time, Jesus obedientl took our sins upon Himself and made His way down the streets of Jerusalem. With the help of Simon, a passer-by, Jesus carried the burden of the heavy cross, but Jesus alone carried the sins of the world.

In the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, Jesus agonized and prayed to His Father, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done." (Luke 22:42)

God loved us so much that He gave us His Son. Jesus loved God and loved us so much that He surrendered to God's will. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, we have the gift of eternal life.

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. The
Holy Spirit, as part of the Godhead Three, also comes with a basket full of gifts to make our lives more abundant. By living close to God and listening to the Holy Spirit, we will receive His fruits as listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. ,

The Gift of Availability

In Revelations 3:20, Jesus reminds us, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with this person, and they with me."

God Answers Prayers

Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matt. 7:7-8)

The Gift of the Eucharist

At the Last Supper, Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. . . "He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper he took the cup saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'"

The Eucharist is spiritual food. By eating it we are giving thanks, remembering Christ, and asking for help in serving God.

The Gift of God's Word

God has entrusted prophets, teachers and writers to record the books and stories that make up the Bible which is God's Word. Paul in his second letter to Timothy says of God's word, "Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another--showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (2 Timothy 3:16 The Message)

One More Gift

I stand corrected by God's Word, for there is one more important gift that we may humbly receive. That is grace, God's grace. After receiving all these wonderful gifts, we don't need to think we are something special.

Paul says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not of works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

My Prayer for You at Christmas

Throughout the Christmas Season and through the New Year, may God grant you the Love, Peace

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

and Joy that comes from Faith, Family and Friends. May God season you with large sprinkles of Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness and Self-control. Amen.