Worship the Giver, Not the Gift!
Gifts impact the lives of people differently. The gift itself does speak volumes to the effects it can cause on the heart and the mind and, of consequence, the thought and the actions of the receiver. Many people I know, and I am sure you could come up with a few yourself, having received one very expensive or valuable gift never received another. Wow, you say! Yeah. You heard correctly. They never received another such gift because they now pay so much attention to that gift that they have forgotten the giver.
The story should be told about a man who was married to his very humble and totally dedicated wife. His wife had spent so much time taking care of him that he was moved in his heart to show his deep appreciation to her. So, for her coming birthday, he bought her an expensive car. The wife, upon receipt of her car, begun to spend every moment she could with and in her car. She was shopping, driving her relatives and her friends here and there. She had planned small trips away from home, visiting places that she had never gone before. All this time, she was spending so much time away from her husband, so much so, that many nights he has had to make his own dinner and be forced to eat by himself. Other nights it was too late to wait up for his lovely wife so, he tucked himself in. By now, so much time had elapsed that he had long missed the chatter and the laughter they shared and had grown distant, lonely and sad from her constant absence. In essence, his dear wife had forgotten that he existed.
Let us liken this narrative to the Lord and ourselves. The LORD loves you so much and it is His greatest pleasure to give you His kingdom (Luke 12:32). However, remember when you were empty and hungry, and you prayed earnestly unto the Lord and now you are full and you live in beautiful houses to be extremely careful not to forget the LORD (Deut 8:10-18). Take a minute to reflect on how many persons you know who were poor and destitute and the LORD blessed them – how many of those persons show genuine appreciation for the gifts that God has given to them? Okay. They spend more time cleaning the house, inviting guests over, living lavish lifestyles than they spend praising and worshipping God.
God is the giver of all good and perfect gifts. When He gives you anything, be careful to worship the Giver not the gift. In reality, the Giver has many more gifts that He wants to shower upon you so, as you worship Him, as you dedicate yourself more to Him, His kingdom He will give to you.
By the way, gifts were meant to be appreciated not worshipped for only but One deserves worship. In Matthew 4:10, Jesus tells who that one is: “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve”. So when next you are given a gift, remember that the true giver of all your gifts is the Lord Jesus Christ and make a concerted effort to, worship the Giver not your gifts. God bless you.