Good Gifts

 It's that time of year where people are looking for just the right gift for that special someone. I'd suggest perhaps somehow checking with that person's social media algorithm... It tracks everything we do in order to predict what we want, even before we know! It's not creepy at all...

Back in 2004, Michael Reagan, son of former president Ronald Reagan, spoke at his father's funeral of a special gift he'd received from his father. He said, "He gave me a lot of gifts as a child... But there's a gift he gave me that I think is wonderful for every father to give every son."

"Last Saturday… When he closed his eyes, that's when I realized the gift that he gave to me, the gift that he was going to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He had, back in 1988 on a flight from Washington, D.C., told me about his love of God, his love of Christ as his Savior. I didn't know then what it all meant. But I certainly, certainly know now."

"I can't think of a better gift for a father to give a son... Knowing where he is this very moment, this very day, that he is in Heaven, and I can only promise my father this: "Dad, when I go, I will go to Heaven, too. And you and I and my sister, Maureen, that went before us, we will dance with the heavenly host of angels before the presence of God."

With those words, Michael Reagan gave a tribute to one of the most profound responsibilities of the God designed relationship between a parent and a child. Over the course of a child's life, they will receive many gifts. Many of those things will be forgotten, but others have the potential to change the life of that child forever.

I. What gifts have you given?

What gifts have you given to your parents, or children or grandchildren? What are some of the things that your parents gave you for Christmas? Can you remember everything you ever received? Probably not. Now think back to things that you did together or places you visited. Can you remember them? That may be a bit easier.

The things that we remember the most clearly are probably the things that have had the most profound effect on our lives. Some good - some bad, but they changed our lives. They made a difference in how we think and how we act and what we value. When you think about material gifts that you've received...

A. Did they last?

I remember one year my dad got his hands on an old, used bike - it was a Huffy. He took it all apart, sanded it down to the metal, painted it orange with black stripes, and put a banana seat on it with new grips. That bike was awesome! I rode that bike around the neighborhood for years! - Best Christmas present! ... Whatever ever happened to that bike...? At some point, I just stopped riding it. I had no idea that my last ride on it was my last ride. I went off to college, I got a car and just didn't need it anymore...

We quickly outgrow a lot of the things of our childhood. We get bored with the old toys and look for new toys. Parents - if your children are older than the age of five - can you remember all of the gifts that you've given them? How many of those "things" still impact their lives?

Now let me ask you this - what are your children, or grandchildren going to remember most about their growing-up years? Of all the things that you've given them or will ever give them, what will they remember most? What kind of impact will those things have on their lives as adults? What kind of impact will it have on the future families they will build?

Things grow old and wear out. However - God is eternal! I want to look at a passage of scripture from the book of Isaiah. In it the prophet describes what we can give that's always needed and we can't outgrow. It's something that will provide us with everything we need in this world. It's essential for finding meaning in life - it's a relationship with God, and it's found only through Jesus Christ. Let's look at the text...

Isaiah 40:25-31 (NIV)

"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. (26) Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (27) Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?

(28) Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. (29) He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (30) Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; (31) but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

As we look at Isaiah's description of God, we can picture the awesome nature of His presence! God has always been and will always be! He's beyond comparison; there's no one like Him! He's the greatest provider for anything and everything we need!

Anything or anyone that exists - exists only because God wills it and allows it to be. There's nothing in existence that is independent from Him. All of creation is an expression of His will. God never gets tired. God never gets tired of listening to you, or caring for you. He created you! He will never ever run out of the resources that it takes to sustain you.

God knows exactly how you think and how you feel - because he made you! He knows you better than you know yourself! There's nothing that He does not understand or comprehend because everything has its existence in Him and He always does exactly the right thing at the right time in the right way - whether we understand it or not.

We can fully depend upon Him, even in our weakest times, and know that He is able to provide strength. There may be times when we're down, but when God is at work in our lives, we're never out. If God is for us, who can be against us? God will give us the power to overcome even when we can't physically stand! Even when we face death and are getting weaker and weaker physically, God is able to make us stronger and stronger in His presence.

Some of you may remember Brent Walker and his battle with cancer a few years back. A few months before he passed, he had a Facebook post that I asked if I could share it.

He posted, "Do you need any extra prayers today? I would be happy to pray for you. Just remember, He always answers but sometimes it's not the answer we are looking for. You must accept that it's His plan, we just have to follow His lead. Love you all!" When I messaged him, he responded -

"Praying for others just helps me spend more time with God. There is so much passion behind my faith now, especially since my diagnosis. I have the best possible win/win situation I could be in. If I beat the cancer I get a little more time here with my friends and family on earth. If the cancer takes my health, I get to go be with my God and loved ones who went before me. Like I said it's a win/win. My goal now is to do good work till He calls me home."

I responded, "That is a beautiful and accurate perspective. I find when people have to face their own mortality it either draws them closer to God or they push away. Your faith is a blessing to me. When I grow up I want to be like you." And his closing comment - "It's worth it."

When you can claim that kind of strength and have that kind of power, you can literally become invincible, knowing that even death can't hold you down because of God's presence in your life! And here's the best part - you can not only claim that strength for yourself, but you can also pass it on to those who come after you! So when we talk about gifts we've given our children, we have to ask…

B. Do they know God?

Of all the things that you can give to your children - only God is eternal! A knowledge of God's presence and His purpose in their lives is the one thing that they most desperately need!

Football Coach Lou Holtz spoke at a commencement address, he told the graduates, "You can't take your money to Heaven, but you can take your family!" Fathers, mothers, anyone who knows a child - There is absolutely no greater gift that you can give a person than the knowledge of the Truth of God and His desire to have a relationship with them! And Jesus Himself explained, in John 14:1-7 (NIV)...

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (2) In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (4) You know the way to the place where I am going."

(5) Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (6) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (7) If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Jesus came to earth as a manifestation of God's eternal power! The core of the Gospel message we preach is that Jesus gave His life on a cross - and then conquered death itself - in order to make sure that we could lay claim to God's presence in our lives, both now and for eternity!

If we fail to do our very best to give our children and grandchildren the power of God in their lives - if we fail to do everything we can to lead them to an understanding of their true identity in Christ, then we've failed to give them that which is by far The most significant gift that we could ever give!

...But here's the catch - you first have to claim it for yourself. Is it possible to give a gift...

II. You don't own?

It's like that old joke - ""If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell to you." You can't sell a bridge you don't own. And you can't pass on a genuine, tested faith if you don't have one.

Back when I was a youth minister - I actually had parents tell me, "Well, I never was much for this religion thing, but I think it's a good thing for my kids to go to Church." But why would you want it for your kids and not yourself? And if it's good - why wouldn't you actively work to secure it together for both you and your kids?

Imagine a man out exploring in the mountains and he discovers a hidden cave. He squeezes through the small opening into a sizable cavern. As his eyes adjust to the small amount of light trickling in from behind him, he sees multiple large shadows. As his eyes adjust, he realizes that they are huge piles of gold coins! It's a massive treasure trove with more than enough to take care of him and his entire family for the rest of their lives! He looks at it in all of its sparkling grandeur and decides, "Wow - that's really nice, I think I'll just leave it here and hope my kids come across it someday. - Then we might share it together."

- This life is not all there is and there's a reality we need to think about when making our choices about spending and giving...

A. We all give ourselves

We all give ourselves to something. Jesus shared this truth in Matthew 6:24 (NIV)...

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

We have to choose to spend the time we've been given on some things while neglecting other lesser things. We all invest our lives into something. When we choose to take a job - in essence, we exchange our time for money. That's kind of how it works.

Those of you who have reached retirement can look back and see how much of your life, your time was traded, to gain money and things. And what do you have to show for it? Yes, we might get our mortgage paid, and utilities and the expenses of raising our family and maybe even have a little money in the bank or some retirement investments. - all good things . But let's face it, with property taxes and the cost of maintenance, you never really own your home and it will continue to cost you.

Your investments in this world are only temporary, and you may even get to the point where you have to watch them continually to make sure they don't run out before you do. So - what do we do? My suggestion…

B. Give yourself to God

Let's look at the results of investing one's life into God's care. Let's look again at Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)...

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Does that sound like a better life? In order to pass a relationship with God on to our children or grandchildren – we must first have a solid relationship of our own; and the only way to the Father is through the Son, Jesus Christ. You want God's power and presence in your life? You have to surrender yourself to Jesus!

So What?

- Back at the beginning of the message. Michael Reagan said that the greatest gift he ever received from his father was the comfort of knowing his father was in Heaven - AND the knowledge, the privilege, of having Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.

Now Ronald Reagan was in a position to leave some pretty wonderful things to his children. In his time, he was arguably the most powerful man in the world as president of the most powerful county in the world! Yet - of all those things - Michael understood that there was one thing that would outlast all the others.

What will your children - and my children - consider to be the greatest gift that we leave behind? It's got to be more than just worldly goods and treasures. It has to be more than just religion. Are you in a position to give your children The greatest gift? Are you going to make sure that they will be able to claim the eternal treasure of God's presence and salvation in their lives?

Let's make sure that those who come after us will be able to see our faith lived out in their presence. Let's make sure that they see lives in pursuit of holiness, rather than accepting the standards of this world! Let's make sure that they can see the power and presence of God demonstrated in our lives! Let's do our best to make sure that – "They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, and that they will walk and not be faint."