The Spirit of Christmas Is Generosity
慷慨就是圣诞节的灵魂
Dec 20, 2017
“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”(John 3:16 NIV).
“神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。”（约3:16 和合本）
During this Christmas season, you’ll hear one word more than any other. It’s not “merry,” “tree,” “Santa,” or even — unfortunately — “Jesus.”
在这个圣诞的节日中，你会听到一个词远比其他的词出现次数多。并不是“快乐”、“树”、“圣诞老人”或者甚至“耶稣”。
It’s “gift.” By the end of November — and sometimes even before then — we begin a frantic dash to find the right gift for everyone on our list. The word “gift” consumes us for a month.
这个词就是“礼物”。在11月末，甚至在这之前，我们就开始疯狂，去找到我们名单上给每个人最适合的礼物。“礼物”这个词耗费了我们一个月。
Many people think that gift giving at Christmas was started by the Wise Men when they brought gifts to the baby Jesus. But it was God who started it all when he gave the first Christmas gift.
许多人认为圣诞节的礼物始于那些智者，那时他们把礼物献给婴儿耶稣。但是当他送出第一个礼物的时候，上帝开始了一切。
The Bible says,“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”(John 3:16 NIV). On the first Christmas, God gave the greatest gift of all — he gave his Son. He gave his Son to die on the cross so you can have a forgiven past, a purpose for living, and a home in Heaven. Jesus is the original Christmas gift.
圣经说，“神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。”（约3:16 和合本）在第一个圣诞节，上帝给了我们最大的礼物，就是他的儿子。他把儿子给我们并且为我们死在了十字架上，所以你现在已经被赦免，过上一个有目标的生活，并且在天堂里有一个家。耶稣就是最初的圣诞节礼物。
We only give because God gave to us first.
我们只是因为神先给了我们。
The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of generosity. In Acts 15:11, the Bible says,“We are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us”(The Message).
慷慨就是圣诞节的灵魂。在使徒行传15:11，圣经说，“相反地，我们相信，我们得救是因主耶稣的恩典，和他们一样。”（和修）
If it weren’t for God’s generosity, we would have nothing. The air we breathe is a gift of God’s generosity. The blood coursing through our veins is a gift of God’s generosity. The fact that our hearts are beating is a gift of God’s generosity. Every good thing in your life — including your life itself — is a gift of God’s generosity.
如果不是上帝慷慨，我们将一无所有。我们护膝的空气是上帝慷慨的礼物。流经血脉的学业也是上帝慷慨的礼物。事实上，我们的信条也是上帝慷慨的礼物。你生命中的每件事——包括你生命本身——都是上帝慷慨的礼物。
But God’s greatest act of generosity came on the very first Christmas when he gave us Jesus.
但是上帝最伟大的慷慨之举就是先给了我们圣诞礼物，就是耶稣。
Talk It Over
讨论问题
How do you respond to knowing that God gave the first Christmas gift?
当你知道上帝给了第一份圣诞礼物，你有什么回应？
What are some gifts from God not mentioned in the devotional today that you are grateful for?
在今天的灵修中，哪些没有提及的上帝的礼物是你最感激的？
What can you do this Christmas to better remember God’s gifts to you?
在这个圣诞节中你能做什么，更好的记得上帝给你的礼物？
