“Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children – this was his pleasure and purpose.” (Ephesians 1:5 NEV )

We will never get to the bottom of this: that God made us for his pleasure. We are much more likely to think of God as someone to obey, revere, and not offend. Our natural tendency is to think that God is out to get us. We walk on eggshells around him. We imagine him at best disinterested in our lives, and at worst, as one waiting to pounce on us over our next misdeed. But to gain pleasure from us? To have created us for his own joy is beyond us. That, by the way, is one reason why I know this is true. Something this wonderful could only be something God revealed to us; we could never have come up with this on our own.

Just what is it about us that brings him pleasure? First off, we are like him. He looks at us and sees himself because he made us to reflect his image. We have a heart, a will, emotions, and a moral conscience. Because of this, God can relate to us and communicate with us. God can have fellowship with us, in other words, and this is one of the main reasons we were created. Plus, we know from examples of men and women in the Old Testament that this fellowship can take on all the typical characteristics of human relationships – arguing, bargaining, cajoling, forgiving, even wrestling (God and Jacob – Genesis 32:22-32) appears to be a part of the human/divine relationship and something in which God takes pleasure or he wouldn’t indulge in it.

This is why we receive so much pleasure when we worship God outright through prayer, meditation, or music. We are doing the most important part of what we were meant to do. David’s greatest joy was to meditate on the law of God day and night.

But don’t leave out the rest of our lives that can be lived out as an act of worship. Paul encourages us to do everything we do to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). He wouldn’t have suggested this if it weren’t possible. That would mean that a host of activities and interests commonly thought of as “secular” could take on the quality and function of worship in our daily lives. And in all of this, God takes pleasure.

Try and live today within the reality that you are bringing God pleasure. We started out that way without doing anything, so consider how living with that consciousness can affect your choices, thoughts, and actions.

Our youngest son received a sweet little stuffed puppy for Christmas.

Our middle son loves camouflage and he got vest with tons of pockets for his air soft guns.

Our oldest son got a couple of football shirts and models one here.

My best friend came to visit and spend Christmas with our family.  Here she is around the campfire Christmas Eve.

This year I learned AGAIN that God gives each of us a gift on Christmas.  We sometimes have to seek the gift, but it’s always there.  It’s not in plain sight all the time.  Sometimes it’s hidden like a treasure for us to seek out. 

This all began with the Christmas gift God have my pastor.  When we renovated the metal building we use for worship we encountered some debt.  Not a great deal, mind you, but some.  God saw fit to pay off that debt on Christmas Eve.  Just for our pastor.  It was God’s gift to him. 

There were two other adults at my kitchen table with our friend and pastor burst into the kitchen to tell us the wonderful news.  NO more DEBT. 

My Christmas gift this year was to learn Less is More.  I know, it sounds simple but it’s not in a world that tells us we need more and more and more.  As many of you read, I bought too much for my kids this year and we ended up giving at least half of it away Christmas Day night.  You can read about that story HERE.  Within that gift was also the insight of seeing that my children respond to what I nurture in them.  As I was packing up the gifts to deliver Christmas Day they each brought something to also wrap for the family God was to lead us to.

I believe my husband got a gift too.  I’m not sure he knows what it is yet, but I’m sure it’s there.

And my best friend got a pretty neat gift too.  I can’t talk about that yet but I hope to be able to soon. 

Eight years ago my Jesus gave me the gift of my first son on Christmas Day.  I remember distinctly HIS voice telling me in the wee hours of the night that the reason he was born on Chrismtas Day was because he was HIS gift to me.  God chose 9 days past my due date, Christmas Day very specifically.  To make sure I knew my son was HIS gift to me.

Do you need to ask your Jesus what His gift to you was this Christmas.  I’m sure He’s got one for you.