Priceless Gifts
2024 First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Tonight, I also speak with joy and wonder of the sacred significance of Christmas. No event in the history of the world has had a greater impact than the birth and mission of Jesus of Nazareth over two thousand years ago. Throughout the modern world, time itself is measured from this miraculous event.
The birth of our Lord is celebrated in many different ways around the world, but there’s one Christmas tradition that seems to be universal.
This tradition likely began with the account in Matthew of wise men from the East coming to worship Jesus. As they came, they brought precious gifts. Today, the tradition of giving gifts is an ever-larger part of Christmas celebrations.
My first memory of a Christmas gift was a wonderful toy rifle which fired a cork on a string, and a mechanical wind-up duck. This was sheer bliss for a four-year-old. The duck would waddle in a circle on the floor and it really did not stand a chance as I would excitedly aim my pop gun from six inches away. But the toy was soon broken, and as with all material things, the happiness it gave was temporary and quickly forgotten.
Tonight, I suggest three gifts each of us can give this Christmas season, and throughout our lives, which will not bring temporary happiness, but instead will bring true and lasting joy.
The first is the gift of testimony. This is such a personal gift and when freely given, without guile, it reveals the deepest expressions of our soul. More precious than gold, frankincense, or myrrh, pure testimony of Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Redeemer is the very center of all that we celebrate at Christmas.
When our six children were young, Jacqui and I decided one night that for family home evening, instead of having a lesson, we would simply share testimonies with each other. After I shared my testimony, our sweet daughter Chelsea, probably 16 years old at the time, said with wide eyes, “Dad, I have never heard your testimony before!” I was somewhat shocked, and I marveled at her response. You see, at the time I was a stake president and I know that Chelsea had heard me bear testimony countless times in many church settings and at home. But in that moment, she both heard and felt my testimony as if it were the very first time. She taught me a lesson I have never forgotten: the gift of testimony is precious and there is power in sharing it often.
Second is the gift of forgiveness. Surely all of us at some time have been wounded by unkind words or actions of others. And if we are honest, we too have caused hurt to others. Jesus Christ teaches that “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” Then He takes it even a step further and says that when we fail to forgive others their sins against us, the greater sin is ours.
As we freely and frankly forgive others, we become free from the poison of bitterness, judgement, or vengeance.
I have a dear friend in South Africa named Sandile Makasi. With permission, I share his very personal story of forgiveness. When Sandile was just under two years old, his father, only 28 years old, was tortured and killed by police during the apartheid regime. Later, Sandile learned the graphic details of his father’s shocking murder. I now quote his own words:
“During my early years as a boy I felt bitterness and hatred because of what they did to my father. How could they take him away from us? I was robbed of a father and mentor, and my mother was robbed of a loving and a caring companion.
“As I learned the violent manner in which they tortured him, this fueled my heart and mind with immense anger, hatred, and hostility towards the police officers and towards white people.
“I continued to harbor these feelings until I found the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel helped me understand that I should forgive the police officers for their crimes, and that my joy and spiritual progress depended on it.
“This was easier said than done, but I persisted with much prayer, and over time the Lord helped me forgive my enemies …. Instead of hurt, I felt comfort; instead of hostility and hatred, I had love; instead of darkness in my heart and mind, I had light and peace.”
Thank you Sandile for your example of giving the gift of forgiveness.
Third, the gift of Christ-like love. Of all spiritual gifts, none is greater than charity. Jesus openly expressed His love for others and He taught us to love one another.
As we follow the Savior’s example by expressing our love for others in word and action, they can then experience the love of God through us.
A few years ago, I met a 23-year-old young man living in Washington who was a great example of this. The missionaries had taught him for three months, and he had experienced an amazing change in his countenance and in his lifestyle. One night he was talking with the missionaries on the phone, and as they hung up, they said “Love you, Michael.” He put down the phone and thought to himself, “Wow. That is something I am not used to. I could even say that to others.” He decided to summon the courage to tell his mother that he loved her. She lived a few hours away in another part of the state. When he called her and told her “I love you, Mum,” her immediate response was “What’s wrong with you? Did you go to the doctor and get some bad news? Are you going back to jail?” So, he told her about finding the gospel and how it had changed him, and that he had now given up smoking and using drugs and that he planned on being baptized.
I think this is a terrific illustration of what happens when people feel God’s love through others. It softens hearts and then it creates a desire to share that gift of love with others.
Now, tonight, we began talking about precious gifts by mentioning gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I checked; you can even purchase those gifts on Amazon. But you will never find the other gifts we have spoken of in any store. They are gifts without a price, yet they will bring lasting and true joy to both the receiver and the giver.
So, as you think about what you will give this Christmas, I invite you to:
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Share your testimony with family and those you love. As you share this precious gift, your own testimony will be strengthened.
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Forgive someone you feel has wronged or hurt you. In giving this gift, you too will feel peace and healing.
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Help others feel the love of God through you. If appropriate, tell them you love them. As you see others as God sees them, your love for them will grow, and you too will feel the love of God in your life.
In closing, I wish each of you a Christmas season full of great joy. I bear my witness of Jesus the Christ. He lives. He is our Saviour, our Redeemer. He is our Advocate and Friend. I adore Him. I love Him. Because of His gift to each one of us, bought at unfathomable cost, we can qualify to receive the greatest gift of all—even eternal life in the presence of our loving Father in Heaven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.