WOW, I found a great deal…

It has now been one week since the ominous “Black Friday” has come and gone. The advertising push by retailers inundated the airwaves and overwhelmed just about all forms of communication. I received emails, tweets, and watched or listened to seeming an unending plethora of advertisement for the great deals that were heading my way! I even considered getting caught up in the madness when a TV that I believed would be nice to have was posted on sale at a local store for less than $100. They advertised a 2hr sale, but the sale was on Thanksgiving Day in the evening. I was all set to go, when my loving wife, in a way only she can, snapped me back to the reality of what I was about to do…

I was about to leave 10-15 guests that I had invited, including my own mother, wife, 2 daughters and 4 of my grandchildren, so that I could get a bargain on a TV! It was a bargain that I was NOT guaranteed to get if supplies did not last and on top of all that I would have to stand in line for at least 2-3 hrs…all on Thanksgiving day. WOW, am I glad I have my wife… I may be a smart man, but she has wisdom! I was snapped back to reality and enjoyed possibly the most wonderful Thanksgiving evening that I have ever experienced.

So preacher…what is this great deal that you say you found! Well it is simple, I have found that the ‘bargain’ is NOT found in the stores, but it is found in the home! God places us with our spouse to complete us, God instructs us to be fruitful and multiply and having children add depth to that complete relationship you have with your spouse. And then on top of that, God adds grandchildren, in my opinion by far His greatest creation! Add to that a wonderful son-n-law and two extremely faithful and loyal ministers on my staff and WOW, what a deal! We sat and had an extremely wonderful time braking bread and enjoyed the fellowship that God had created among us. To complete the evening, I was able to watch my favorite college team defeat their rivals, all in all I would say this night was the best ‘deal’ I had come across all year!

Let’s not get caught up in the skewed focus that this world gives us during this time of year. They would have you believe it is all about the sales and the gifts. I will say that it is ok to buy a gift for your loved one or friend, but we must remember WHY we buy that present! This time of year is when we remember the ONE gift God gave in the person of Jesus Christ! Jesus is God’s giving of the gift that brings salvation and redemption to a world that is lost without Him. We give gifts as a sign of love for our families and friends. The gifts we give each other or receive from others must NOT be the real focus of our celebration, but it should be the love behind that gift! Jesus was God’s gift to the world and He came to us because of God’s love FOR the world! John 3:16 reminds us of that love! Take time today to be thankful and look to the gift that God gave in Jesus Christ!