John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I think it was Christmas of 1964, I would have been 11.  Not sure of the exact year but that was close.  Even though I don’t remember the exact date, I will never forget the images and feelings of that Christmas.  One of the things my parents always did was way over give at Christmas.  You could say they spoiled us and I wouldn’t disagree.  This year though I remember that my mom had looked at and had said that she loved these cut glass crystal small goblets.  I wanted to actually give that year and asked my dad if I could earn some money.  He gave me some jobs to do and I worked pretty hard until I had earned enough to get the goblets.  That Christmas morning I proudly handed the gift I had wrapped and gave it to my mom.  When she opened it, she gasped and then started crying.  I experienced something I never had felt before, the joy of giving.  It has a profound effect on me and as I grew in my faith God opened my eyes to the joy of giving your best to others and to Him.  My heart jumped as I read I Corinthians 9:7 the first time.  “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  I remembered the joy of that first time I had lived that out and thanked God.  I still love giving gifts and for us as Christians it should be something we thank God for every time we have the opportunity to give.  Giving is a powerful expression of God.  In fact, God is the ultimate giver of life, grace, mercy and blessings.  We can never out give God but we can ll learn from Him the joy of giving.