It’s that time of year when we check our lists against our available funds to determine who gets what. But what about the gift you cannot buy? The gift that is a sacrifice and not an item on your to-do list. As we count down to Christmas and make room for Christ’s presence, let’s consider what to give to God. It’s not as if He needs anything from us; after all, He is the ultimate gift Himself.
What we can give Him is our surrender—a gift we cannot purchase from Amazon and have sent directly to His address. Our surrender is a gift that is precious and dear to Him and it’s the only response appropriate for His great mercy toward us. We cannot ever pay Him back for all He has done. But we can worship and honor Him with our lives. I love reading from the Passion Translation, and there Romans 12:1 says,
Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
This type of surrender is not a transaction; it’s a transformation of the heart fit for the season. Becoming a sacred sacrifice is about living a life of gratitude; it’s not about perfection but about coming into alignment with His grace. It’s our genuine desire to delight Him with a life of worship. We surrender to a freedom only found in the arms of Christ, and there we lay down the burden of self-reliance, the anxiety of control, and the emptiness of chasing things and stuff. We offer our whole selves, including our flaws and fears. As we make room for surrender, we will discover a purpose that ignites our souls. The gift that you cannot buy is an experience that delights the heart of God. May we live in that delight throughout this season and beyond.