Cultivating a Thankful HeartSampel

Thankful for the Price Christ Paid This holiday season, I refuse to allow wants and parties and sale items to overshadow the most precious gift Christ gave me—Himself. A present that won’t fade or lose its luster. This precious infant we’ll soon celebrate entered into our world with a driving, unshakable, unwavering focus—to die for all mankind. For me. I forget that though He was indeed God in flesh, He was also flesh, with sorrow and burdens and deep angst over what lay ahead. But then God gently and lovingly draws me back 2,000 years through Scripture to a crowded Palestinian countryside where our Savior stands, surrounded by an “adoring” crowd. People press in, anxious for the miraculous. Others are simply anxious. Their hearts center on material things—what they have and don’t have or fear they might lose. Turning to His disciples, He says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Then, it’s as if that torturous night flashed before Him, and His words pour forth in anguish. The NIV states it this way: “I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of Me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished” (verses 49-50). Saying, in essence, “If only I could get that terrible moment over with and be reunited with My Father once again!” While men bickered over material things (Luke 12:13-21), Jesus focused on the cross, knowing precisely all He’d suffer. No matter how the parties and gifts turn out, no matter the chaos or celebrations, may I prioritize Him most of all and remain forever grateful for the gift of grace.