How God sees our gifts…and us.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree.

When I read this passage, I kind of think of that song with the seemingly endless repetition. 

Only instead of gradually building up to 12 gifts, all the gifts are mentioned every single time, twelve times!  (sigh)

Apparently, this is also the longest chapter in the first five books of the Bible (89 verses worth) with most of them repeating the same phrases over and over again. 

What’s the point?

I suppose it’s a reminder to us that when we offer something to God, he doesn’t just take it for granted. 

He doesn’t say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Thank you.  Now go on, get out of here so the next person can bring in his gift.”  

Instead, he looks upon each gift that we bring to him and cherishes it.

Each Israelite tribe had their own special day to bring their gifts to God.  And although each gift was the same, everything was carefully recorded by Moses.

I think God sees our gifts the same way. 

He sees everything we bring him, whether it’s our tithes and offerings, whether it’s our time that we give serving him, or whatever it may be. 

He sees each gift and he carefully records it in his book. 

Why?  Because of how he sees us.  He sees us as his precious children. 

And whenever we do something because we love him and want to please him, it touches his heart.

Do you ever feel like you’re not much in the eyes of God?  Do you ever feel like you don’t have much to give him? 

God doesn’t necessarily care what you bring him, as long as he has the thing that’s most important to him:  your heart. 

As long as he has that, he looks at you and everything you give to him as the most precious gift in the world.