What Can I Give Him?

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.

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.

“In the Bleak Midwinter” is one of my favorite Christmas hymns. Today as I drove downtown with my parents I thought about the last verse of that song. What can I give Him? As the whole city of Almere bustles about getting ready for Christmas, with little or no knowledge of Who Christmas is about, I pondered that question. What can I give Him? Jesus’ birth into this world, His death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead, was the greatest gift this world will ever receive. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son! He was willing to put His precious, sinless Son on this earth with corrupt mankind. The thought just astounds me! Jesus, little baby born in a lowly cattle shed in Bethlehem, was our gift. In my mind’s eye I stand beside His hay-filled cradle and wonder, What can I give Him? If I were a wise man I would lay gold before Him. If I were a shepherd I would offer a lamb. But, what can I give Him?

I can give Him my heart. When I asked Jesus Christ to wash away my sin and cleanse me of my unrighteousness, He came inside and washed me clean and pure within. I gave Him my heart at that moment and exchanged my rightful place in a burning hell for an eternity in Heaven. Now I’m a child of the King! But I must be sure that my heart stays as pure as the day Jesus first cleansed it. Giving my heart to Him is a day to day struggle. I must give Jesus my heart. He must have first place. He must be my first Love!

I can give Him my hopes and dreams. Every girl has hopes for the future. My dream is to be a loving wife and joyful mother of children. There are other dreams I have, but I must be willing to sacrifice my ambitions for God’s perfect plan for my life. Like Mary, I must break my alabaster box, dashing my dreams at the feet of the One who makes dreams come true…dreams that exceed my wildest imagination. Sometimes God asks us to give up something only so He can give it back to us…but, not as we gave it to Him. No, He takes it and makes something better and even more beautiful. But first I must be willing to surrender it. I must give Him my hopes and dreams.

I can give Him my will. There are things I want that may not be part of God’s plan for my life. The will of my sinful flesh has to be broken, and God’s will must take its place. I must yield to His purpose…though it would conflict with what I have in mind. I must be willing to go to any mission field. I must be willing to give up everything I hold dear--home, family, country. I must be willing even to give up my life. I must give God my broken will, so that He can replace it with His perfect will.

I can give Him my future. Only God knows what lies ahead. He is the master designer. I am merely an instrument in His hand. I am not to run ahead or lag behind, but to stay right by His side. I must dedicate the coming years to Christ. As others fall prey to the world, I must purpose in my heart that every year, every day, every hour, and second will be devoted to my Saviour. He will be Lord of my life. He will have the throne…always.

I can give Him myself. How can anything be more precious to Jesus than a life devoted, surrendered, totally yielded to Him? What can I give Him, poor as I am? I can step inside the offering plate and give ME. He died for me; I can live for Him!