The RUSH is on … it is less than 10 days before Christmas. I have one more gift left to get on my list and I plan on getting it no later than this weekend. If I can't find the item I'm looking for, I've already decided to purchase a gift certificate as an alternative. : ) The malls were horrible this past weekend. I drove around for awhile looking for a parking space and finally just gave up. Some people actually live for this time of year when the crowds are out in massive numbers. I prefer to do my shopping early, but this year I got a little behind. I also have not quite gotten to the point where I'm comfortable shopping on the internet yet. I learned a long time ago to budget, use cash and leave the credit cards alone. Nothing is more depressing that having more bills than you can afford to pay in January.

As a child, I spent a lot of time gazing through the Sears Wish Book. On Christmas day it was a wonderful feeling to finally pick that doll up in my arms that I had been drooling over for months. Now that I'm older, I receive that same joy I had as a child, as I purchase gifts for family and friends. Usually sometime in November I will ask each person for some ideas or will carefully check out anything they seem to need. I'm very particular about finding a gift that the person can enjoy for a period of time.

During this time of year as you gather the gifts for people on your Christmas list, do you give careful thought about the gift? Why are you giving the gift? Is it to get something in return? As we get caught up in the season, it's a good time to examine our hearts especially as Christians.

The story of the three wise men is the basis for giving gifts during the Christmas season. We know these three wise men traveled somewhere faraway from the East. There mission was to find the Christ child and present him with gifts. "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."

Notice in the verse it states, "they bowed down and worshiped him" before they actually presented the gifts to Jesus. It is very easy to get caught up in the frenzy of buying gifts for our family and friends, but we must remember to "bow down and worship" Jesus during this season and all through out the year. He already provided us with the perfect gift! We may be able to find a Pokemon this year and present it to a delighted youngster on Christmas day, but the gift of salvation will last long after the products/fads for this Christmas season have passed away.

---

Jesus is the Reason for the Season! Share the story of Jesus with someone who needs to be encouraged this season!

---

Ty Moody is a professional web developer who enjoys dabbling in freelance writing. Her company Tywebbin Creations produces such websites as faithwebbin.net, doenetwork.com, kulturezone.com and goodgirlbookclubonline.com. This article used by permission.