30+ Days of Giving Thanks, Day #55: My Most Valuable Christmas Present

Years ago, Kelly and I began a Christmas tradition: each year (or at least, most years) we have given a gift to ourselves—a “Family Christmas present.” The first was a stereo system we purchased while in Germany in 1988—I wrote about that in an earlier post (click HERE to read that post). Other gifts through the years have included a Foosball table, a trampoline, and many more that I cannot remember at the moment. One of our boys’ friends was heard to comment about the trampoline: “That’s my favorite your Christmas present!” That comment has stuck and has traveled with us all the years since.

Thinking about my “favorite” Christmas present is a short thought process. I have received many, many gifts from many people who have loved be, and whom I have loved, well. These gifts have been thoughtful, humorous, practical, frivolous, and more. Some have been handmade or homemade. Others have been purchased at considerable expense. I have and do appreciate each one of them, both for the gift itself and even more so for the giver and the love demonstrated toward me in the act of selecting, making or purchasing, wrapping, addressing, and presenting the gift to me.

The greatest of them all, however, is the first of them all, and the inspiration for every gift since. It’s described beautifully in the words found in the Gospel according to John, chapter 3 and verse 16: “For God so loved the world [including Dennis Ashley] that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever [still including Dennis Ashley] believeth in Him [I do! I do!] should not perish [yay!] but have everlasting life [hallelujah!].”

Thank You, Loving Heavenly Father, for this Gift of love, freely given to and for me, and to and for the whole world. Oh, that everyone would believe, and have everlasting life as Your gift, freely given and freely received.

To you, reader, if there are any, I say: please, if you have not already, accept the gift God is presenting to you. It is not yours until you receive it, but it does have your name on it!
Merry Christmas!

30+ Days of Giving Thanks, Day 36: The Lord Jesus Christ

Some who may be reading these posts will ask, “Dennis, why did you wait so long to get to thanking God for Jesus?” I don’t have a good answer. Please understand that I am not thankful for only one "thing"each day; I am only writing about one thing each day! What’s important to me is that today I am thanking God that He loved me (you, us, everyone!) so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son, so that by believing in Him, I (you, we, everyone) will not perish, but have everlasting life. (You’ll recognize John 3:16, I’m confident.)

Another one of  my favorite Bible verses is Titus 2:13-14, which says “…we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

(For a previous entry on the “Blessed Hope” click here. )

One of my favorite singing groups is a quartet called “GoodNews.” (By happy fortune, GoodNews is singing in our church this coming Sunday morning! Come and join us there!) One of the members, Russ Sears, wrote a song that the group sings called “Thank You for the Blood.” With credit to GoodNews and Russ Sears, the lyrics of that song are reproduced here:

Many times I’ve thanked You for the food I’ve eaten
I have often thanked You for blessings from above
But if I’ve forgotten to tell You that I’m thankful,
This is what I’d say to You
For Your perfect gift of love.

Thank You for the blood shed on Calvary;
Thank You for the blood poured out just for me.
Pure redeeming grace; flowing, cleansing flood.
Jesus, let me tell You thank You for the blood.

Written in the Bible is the blood atonement
Of the sacrificial lamb that covered people’s sin
The Father had a plan to pay sin’s price forever.
I want to show my love for Him,
This is where I will begin.

Thank You for the blood shed on Calvary;
Thank You for the blood poured out just for me.
Pure redeeming grace; flowing, cleansing flood.
Jesus, let me tell You thank You for the blood.

Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;

Jesus, let me tell You thank You for the blood.
Jesus, let me tell You thank You for the blood.

A Fresh Start

A Fresh Start [click on the link to the left or on the picture to the right to hear this message]

This message was first delivered to the people at the First Baptist Church in Newburgh on Sunday, September 5, 2010. I invite you to listen, and, once you've listened, to invite others to listen as well.