In Giving We Receive

It is Christmas Eve - 24th December 2020 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for the day!

Luke Chapter 2 and verse 7:

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

A manger is a long trough for feeding horses or cattle, according to the Oxford Dictionary, and the King of Glory never had a crib. He was put in a manger.

Do you remember that beautiful carol?

Away in a manger

No crib for His bed

The little Lord Jesus

Lay down His sweet head.

The stars in the bright sky

Looked down where He lay

The little Lord Jesus

Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing

The poor baby awakes

But little Lord Jesus

No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus

Look down from the sky

And stay by my side

Until morning is nigh!

Ah, friends, you know, you don’t have to have much to be happy, do you?

The King of Glory - His little crib was a feed trough.

I remember many years ago - I am talking about fifty years ago, 1970, I went to Australia and those Australians are wonderful people.

They taught me how to ride horses and I was on a farm, a cattle farm and they had no accommodation for me, so I went to the little village nearby to try and get accommodation.

Now, I could have booked into a nice country hotel because I had money with me. I had brought it from Africa, but I was lonely, and I went and stayed with one of the poorest families in the village.

The father worked on the railroads and the mother was a waitress in a café. They had three lovely little children.

I slept in the middle bunk in the bedroom.

The one son was on the top of me and the other one was underneath me, but you know something? We used to have a tablespoon of baked beans and one lamb chop for supper.

I used to sneak out and go round the corner to the pub and get myself a pub dinner because I was so hungry in those days.

But the love that was in that home, I will never forget, until the day I meet Jesus.

I want to say to you today on Christmas Eve, spend time with your loved ones. Phone that lonely person, visit that person, take some food to those people who don’t have anything because you see, it is in giving that we receive, and Jesus led us from the front, didn’t he?

Oh, I can’t wait to see Him when He comes back to take us to be with Him in glory but until that time, let us spend ourselves on behalf of others.

Let us be fools for Jesus, if that is what it takes, but let the love of Christ this Christmas Season overflow from your hearts, because The Lord is King and He is coming back very soon.

Have a beautiful Christmas evening.