Perpetual Giving

One of the favorite verses of one of my favorite Christmas carols is penned in the fourth verse of "In the Bleak Midwinter." The song asks;

"What then can I give him, poor as I am,
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man, I would do my part.
Yet - what can I give him? I give him my heart."

I like these words because they provoke a response in me: What can I give to a king who has given so much to me?

Finding an appropriate gift to the one who makes all things possible is impossible because there is nothing we can offer, offer, or extend that could even come close to repaying all that he has given for us. We don't have enough to reciprocate his kindness. Whatever we give, because even our best is somewhat inconsequential, it needs to be something perpetually offered. To start to repay, we do not need to give once, but always.

There are some obvious things we can and must give to say thank you - our time, our talent, our thoughts, and our actions. I have recently been led to believe that one of the best gifts we can return to Jesus is our awe and wonder, and these two traits are expressions of worship that God desires and deserves.

CS Lewis believed that "we become more in awe of him as we stand in awe of him." The best gift we can return to Christ, not just on his birthday but every day, is that we can constantly remain amazed at all he has done.

Standing in awe is not a static action because it involves us discovering new ways to look at him. As we see something wonderful about him, we become more awe-filled, and thus our worship increases.

I wonder this season whether the best gift we can give to our king is to stand amazed by him. Doing so creates perpetual gratitude, changes us from 'glory unto glory,' and allows us to offer a gift that keeps on giving.

What can you give him? The gift he wants is our worship. As we stand in awe of him... we continue to become more in awe of him.