Free Gifts

I was decorating my house this weekend and enjoying all my favorite pieces of decor. I was listening to my favorite Christmas music. I was getting into the whole Christmas spirit. Then I got to thinking,"What is the Christmas spirit?" I believe some people associate the "spirit" with "mood"...being in the Christmas mood. I started to think how my Christmas Spirit would be defined and shared. So I thought about the Fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galatians
5:22-23. Love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

What better gifts can we give our family and friends this Christmas season. Let's break them down into gifts!

First, I have listed them and added their Greek meanings. I have a friend who is teaching me how to study the Bible with more accurate understanding by researching the original meanings of words. So bear with me. I want to pass on the information. I will use Webster's dictionary to further define certain words that will be placed in parenthesis in the gift sections.

Love: from agapaw - agapao; love, i.e. affection or benevolence; specially (plural) a love-feast:--(feast of) charity(-ably), dear, love.

Gift: Love with an affection that conveys benevolence (a disposition to do good, act of kindness, a generous gift). I love the "love-feast" reference. I imagine when families do it right - a mom can look over her Christmas family get together and see a "Love Feast". Family showing charity and "dear" love. Awesome! I will try and be that type of guest!

Joy: from cairw - chairo; cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight:--gladness, X greatly, (X be exceeding) joy(-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous).

Gift: I love this Greek definition! "Calm Delight". Ha Ha. I can't imagine joy without noise at Christmas. However, what a precious gift to give to others. We see so much stress at the holidays due to busyness and financial difficulties. Why don't I give a calm "Anna", a cheerful "Anna", and express great joy to those I meet. Let's give encouragement by sharing our true joy that comes from knowing God, give a big warm hug, or share some humor and bring out a laugh.

Peace: probably from a primary verb eiro (to join); peace (literally or figuratively); by implication, prosperity:--one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again.

Gift: The Greek definition is confusing to me. I am inclined to interpret it as being joined with Christ in relationship which develops a sense of peace. The kind of peace where worry isn't a norm. The peace where we can rest and settle into a sense of security. The security of our eternal life and our intimate relationship with Him. We in turn can offer this "gift" of peace to others and live in a way that others will seek our peace and enjoy our sense of "rest".

Long Suffering: from the same as makroqumwV - makrothumos; longanimity, i.e. (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude:--longsuffering, patience.

Gift: Patience would be the best gift I could give this Christmas to those around me. Easier said than done with long lines, long lists to do, and long receipts that drain the checkbook. It's not the public's nor family's fault that I have these responsibilities at Christmas and that I am sometimes disorganized. What is my lack of patience with the slow cashier, rude waiter, or demanding child really saying about who I am in Christ? Ouch! (Forbearance - to hold oneself back especially with effort). (Fortitude - strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage). The gift of Long suffering is a hard one to wrap up!

Kindness: from crhstoV - chrestos; usefulness, i.e. morally, excellence (in character or demeanor):--gentleness, good(-ness), kindness.

Gift: I love the thought of usefulness in the definition of kindness. The Webster defines "kind" several ways here are two: Kind: of a sympathetic or helpful nature; and of a kind to give pleasure or relief. Kindness is the gift of doing, of being useful. We can give the gift of being helpful and giving pleasure and/or relief. Like pushing a bald, blue eyed man in his wheelchair to shop....I am not over this ladies...such rejection for "Diane". We can't forget the examples in Greek that suggest usefulness to include morals and excellence in character. Kindness seemed like a simple gift at first....WRONG!

Goodness: from agaqoV - agathos; goodness, i.e. virtue or beneficence:--goodness.

Gift: The free charitable things we do and give at Christmas are the best gifts. These gifts fill us with great joy and are most pleasing to God. (Goodness: Praiseworthy character) (Virtue: conformity to a standard of right-morality) (Beneficence: performing acts of kindness and charity).

Faithfulness: from peiqw - peitho; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:--assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

Gift: This is another complicated Greek definition. If it wasn't a bad time to call my friend, I would call her. I would define it as a consistent profession and reliance on Christ for His salvation. Faithful in what we believe. Letting our families know that what we believe will hold true in our lives. (Faithfulness: steadfast in affection or allegiance : loyal)

Gentleness: from praoV - praios; gentleness, by implication, humility:--meekness.

Gift: Have you ever met a person that is just so gentle and soft? I envision an older woman who is refined not by material means but with such a graceful and gentle disposition. One who is truly humble and meek. Not a push over or women of low esteem but one who is quietly confident. She doesn't have to make a case for herself or draw attention to herself. One who people are drawn to because she is truly beautiful. To me gentleness very much describes Christ. Humble and meek yet so powerful. (Humility: reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission) (Meekness: enduring injury with patience and without resentment : mild).

Self-Control: from egkrathV - egkrates; self-control (especially continence):--temperance.

Gift: My family wants this gift from me I am sure. I can get cranky, bossy, and demanding. A little self control can go a long way in providing a good Christmas for them. So what is self-control, when we assume that we just need to hand ourselves over to Christ? Self control to me is ownership of our actions and active participation/thought in holding back and showing restraint. The word "Continence" is defined as self-restraint in the Webster dictionary. The word temperance means moderation in action, thought, or feeling : restraint. Why is it that I feel some times that I have the right to be heard and that my family or friends need to hear me vent my negative frustrations, etc. ? Am I alone here? Self-Control is truly a precious gift we can give our families and friends around us. You see it's not that we can't have opinions or judgements, but it doesn't mean we have to spew it out for all to hear. We need to go the Lord with these things and make sure our hearts are right. Sorry, soap box topic.

Ladies, this has become a Bible study of sorts. My intent was to reflect on Christmas and share that Christmas is not just ornaments, fancy decor, bows and gifts. The Christmas spirit is not just a mood. Christmas is a celebration of our Lord Jesus, and in Him we produce fruit. Good fruit that comes from knowing Him and is part of who we are and giving of ourselves is truly the best gifts we can give others.

I will work on it. I want to give tangibly and Spiritually. I can get caught up in the things of Christmas. I don't like apologizing for it either. I love the lights, candles, and bright colors. I just know that the focus is about Him.

One last gift not mentioned above. It is a gift for you! One you can truly enjoy for a lifetime. It is the gift of Forgiveness. Ladies, it is the hardest thing to do at times. But, the peace and clarity of mind and heart is so worth it. I am talking about truly letting go of past hurts and wrongs. I realize the other person(s) involved must want forgiveness. If it is asked of you, and they have truly heard and identified what they did wrong, let it go! Give that gift to yourself. They have to live with the integrity of their request for forgiveness whether genuine or not. You just do as Jesus has asked us to do in His word. I am working on something very specific in my life. I have a friend recently who has worked and continues to work on forgiving a person who has literally devastated her life. She has handled it gracefully. Ladies, we can do the same. Give yourself the gift of a cleansed heart...no more bitterness. Forgiveness from the heart looks good on you and that's an outfit you cannot buy.