The Meaning Behind the Gift

BY JOHN FRICK

As I am writing this, it is less than one week from Christmas, and my wife and I have spent the last several days finalizing our gift giving plans. I recently began to wonder if the receivers of our gifts will feel that they have been given a generous gift. I concluded that generosity is rarely dependent on the amount of the gift, but for a gift to be considered generous, it should be meaningful to the receiver.

Through this process, I realized that if the gift is going to feel meaningful to the gift receiver, then at least one of the following criteria should be met:

• The gift is one that the receiver can use and enjoy, something for their direct benefit.
• The gift is one that will remind the receiver of something significant, something worthy to be remembered. Like a wedding ring, something that when seen or used causes the receiver to remember something special and greater than just the gift itself.
• The gift is one that is given to someone else to honor the individual in connection to an organization or cause.

Wow, what a revelation! Generosity is not measured by the amount or cost of the gift but how the gift can connect with the receiver.

At Christmas time, you hear sermons about the generosity of God in the gift of “Emmanuel,” who emptied Himself and became a baby born to Mary and Joseph. As I think about this gift, I wonder if it passes one of the above criteria for being meaningful to the receiver. Well, here is what I conclude:

• Is there direct benefit to the receiver? Absolutely, if the receiver accepts the gift.
• Is there something to remember? Again, absolutely. We are to remember that God is our Father who loves us and wants us to experience Shalom and restored relationships with Him, others, self, and all of creation.
• Does it involve a greater cause? Yes! God gave the “light” so that those in darkness can find a way out of darkness, and those who follow Jesus are to be reflectors of that light, so that the whole world might hear and receive the Gospel message.

If you are reading this blog, you probably have some interest in what God is doing through SAT-7 to make the Gospel available; and I want to challenge you to be generous – more than something measured in quantifiable terms, but recognizing that your gifts also meet the gift criteria for the receiver. Regarding your past and future gifts to SAT-7:

• Viewers who hear the Gospel and are coming to and growing in their faith by the programs and teachings broadcast across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are receiving direct benefits to use and enjoy. Their lives are changed now and for eternity.
• There are many isolated believers who are reminded that they are not alone and that they are part of God’s family, a message given through the programs made available by your prayers and financial resources.
• Your gifts given to SAT-7 honor God and expand His Kingdom. The MENA region is where Christianity began, and today only about 3% of the population are Christians; so this is a cause that God is connected with, as He wants the whole world to benefit from His gift of “Emmanuel.”

So, as you consider your year-end gift giving through SAT-7, I want to personally thank you for your partnership in ministry and for your generosity, as your gifts are indeed meaningful to those who receive them.

May God continue to bless you and your family in the New Year.

John

JOHN FRICK

John Frick, M.B.A., M.A.C.M., C.F.R.E. is the Vice President of Development at SAT-7 USA. He is a gifted speaker and has had many opportunities to address civic, political, and church groups regarding various current events and issues. He is passionate about the cause of the poor both in spirit and in body, as well as giving a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. His full leadership bio is available here.