Saturday, 12 December 2009

• Gifts That Keep on Giving

  Originally posted on December 21, 2008, by BarryDadof3

  Tonight my father-in-law and step-mother-in-law stopped by for a Christmas visit. My father-in-law handed my wife a Christmas card envelope and said this year they decided to do something different as a gift for Christmas.

  I usually become leery  of the word "different". "Different" is one of those terms you use to explain something that you expect someone to be upset about. So as my wife opened the card I started wondering what could be so horrible that my wife and I could get upset. We appreciate any presents that are given to us because of the act behind them and not the actual gift.
  
  As my wife opens the card there is a folded blue piece of paper. My first thought was gift certificate but my next thought was what was so bad about that. So my wife opened the blue piece of paper and here is what it said...
  
  To: Barry and Kristen and kids

  A gift of 50 Bible's have been purchased in your name and will be donated to a new believer in Afghanistan.
  Have a blessed Christmas!!
  
  From Dad & D
  
  My first reaction was joy...I think that this is an awesome gift. God has blessed us so much this year for Christmas and this gift allows us to give a gift to someone else. I take tremendous joy that there will be a new believer that will receive a Bible in his hands and it was because someone gave a gift to me.
  
  Then my joy grew even more after my wife's father told us the story about how this started (I am going to do this from memory so the story I will be providing is the to the best of my memory):
  
  A taxi driver became a Christian through a man that attended my father-in-law's church. The man was there on business and when he met the taxi driver he explained to the taxi driver about Christ. Through that conversation the taxi driver accepted Christ. A time period later, the taxi driver saw a man crying outside a hospital. The taxi driver started to talk to the man and the man shared he was leader of a mosque. The taxi driver explained Christ to that man and that man accepted Christ. The man that was the leader of the mosque turned his mosque into a church and now people are accepting Christ in that area at a staggering rate. Now the area is in need of Bibles and this gift is for that area.
  
  As I think about this gift I am humbled by God and his willingness to allow me to be included in this growth of His kingdom. With this gift of Bibles God shared an ultimate gift in a glimpse of his power.
  
  I think this is truly a gift that keeps on giving.
  
  Have you ever received or given a gift that keeps on giving?

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