It’s Christmastime
“What shall I give Him, poor as I am? …. I’ll give Him my heart.”
Lyrics to In the Bleak Midwinter
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
What 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 I can I give Him: give my heart.
What does it mean to give Jesus my heart?
As I understand, ‘to give Jesus my heart’ means we give our love… our trust… our devotion… our commitment, our everything!
Offering our hearts to GOD
We give Him everything! We are an offering to be poured out for Him. Just as Jesus shed his blood for us 33 years after his birth, we shed our lives for him, becoming baptised as he did, becoming surrendered to the Father’s will, just as he did.
Taking stock at this Christmastime
Can we each consider: “How much have I surrendered my life to GOD?
“Have I given everything to him? Every hope, every person, every passion, every object, to my Father who supplies my every need?”
In this Western world of relative wealth, ease and sustenance, in this dark time of fear and grief, in this ambitious atmosphere of get and take, strive and conquer, achieve and win, have I given every defeat and every victory to Him?
Be Still
May I encourage us all, to pause, reflect and consider: Our time remaining on this earth may be long or short. Let’s ensure it is as bold and beautiful, as full and generous, as surrendered and submitted as our Saviour’s to our Father. Let us pour ourselves onto our LORD.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.