Write2Ignite

What Gift Can Writers Bring for the Newborn King?

Music is an important part of celebrating Christmas. Remember the Christmas song, “The Little Drummer Boy”? It’s about a little boy who wonders what gift he could give to the baby Jesus. Or how about “We Three Kings,” a song about the costly gifts the magi brought to the Christ Child.

Gift-giving is also a big part of the Christmas season. We celebrate Jesus’s birthday by giving gifts to each other. But what about giving gifts to Jesus? What can writers give to Him?

Here are a few ideas for us to consider:

Our words:

Whether we write for the Christian market or the general market, the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of words to use for the Father’s glory. So when we offer our words to Him, we’re really giving back what He first placed in us!

• Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) – “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
• Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV) – “Now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ.”

Our plans:

All too often we make plans and then ask God to bless those plans. But what would happen if asked God for His plans for us? What if we made our plans surrendered to His authority with the knowledge that He can and will change them for our good and His glory.

• Proverbs 16:9 (ESV) tells us, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
• Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) – “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

My paraphrase of these 2 verses: Write your plans in pencil and carry a big eraser!

Our time:

Spending quiet time with the Lord each day is critical for us to maintain sensitivity to His voice—the whispers of the Holy Spirit in our life. This is a gift we give to the Lord which is also a gift for ourselves!

• Mark 1:35 (NIV) – “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
• Luke 5:16 (NIV) – “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

If Jesus needed to spend daily time with the Father, we certainly do!

Ourselves:

As Christians, we’re not so much giving ourselves as we are affirming that we already belong to Him. Consider the following verses:

• John 17:24 (NIV) –  “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory You have given me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
• John 17:6 (NIV) – I have revealed You to those whom You gave me out of the world.”
• Ephesians 5:27 (NIV) – “… to present her to himself as a radiant church without stain…”
• Jude 1:24 (NIV) – “To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy.”

Did you catch it? The reason God wants us to give ourselves to Him is because we are a gift that God presents to Jesus. You are so precious and so valuable to God the Father that He delights in presenting you as a gift to God the Son!

These are only a few suggestions for us, as writers, to give to Jesus for Christmas.

What can you add to this list?