The Perfect Gift – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Hey everyone, this is Nate Ortiz and this is Walking in Power and I want to talk today

about finding the perfect gift. We're in the month of December, Christmas kind of the

holidays and there's these moments where we are feeling like, man, we think about our

Christmas list, we got to buy gifts for it and it's going to feel overwhelming, especially

the people who are closest to us. For whatever reason, it's always more difficult to buy

the presents for those who are near to us and maybe you don't feel the way, but I can

feel that where you just think of how I can really show my deep appreciation for this

person who I love and I care for so much that I can get them a gift that really explains

that or shows it. Now, I understand that we can get to the mindset of, you know, it's

just the thought that counts and all those things are true, but I just want to speak to

the fact that what we think about giving gifts, sometimes it's the pressure I could put

so I was just getting the perfect gift. Now, I like to think about it this way. I have

kids at home and there's times where they'll make something for me or they'll create something

and just even recently, one of my boys created a Lego set of our family. He just created

everyone and had us in the living room. That was just super, super creative and it meant

so much to me. There's this idea that when I think about the gifts that have been given

to me in my life for my kids, it usually is from the place of when they thought about

me and they created and gave it to me, it's always perfect. It always is and I don't get

a gift where you think it'd be a bad death. I took the gifts and said, well, I just put

the Lego here if they drew me a picture and said, I'll, why draw it this way or why did

you do that? Because then we're just critiquing the gift, but it's really this idea that when

they give this gift to us, it's perfect because it's from their heart and it's genuine.

I want to talk about the perfect gift that God has given us and that is the gift of salvation

through his son, Jesus. That's what Chris says about that Jesus was born in a manger

that he would grow in one day down the cross for you for me for our sins. When I think

about that, it's something to remind me as I go about the Christmas season that tonight

I get stressed out, it's not over-thing things just to remember that what the season is really

about in the birth of Christ. So I want to just talk about his gift that he gave or

the gift of eternal life. And John 10, 10, it says, the thief comes to steal, kill, and

destroy. But he says, I come that they may have life and have it abundantly. I think in

the culture that we live in, I just want to focus on this idea of life and life abundantly.

We can get so caught up in living our day to day task and goals and things that we have

to accomplish that we really forget the simple things, the beautiful things in life where

it's sitting down, it's having a conversation, it's sitting time just to reflect and pray,

it's just time to read the word, read the scriptures. And when we begin to do that, we enrich

ourselves, but then in turn we enjoy the things that around us a little bit more. It's one

of my favorite quotes by Charles Spurgeon, but he says, it's not how much we have that

creates happiness, but how much we enjoy. So we can have all the things that we want

in life. We can have all the goals, we can have all the nice things, we can do all those

accolades. But at the end of the day, do we really enjoy the simple things that are around

us just finding the beauty in those moments? And so I want to just think about take for you

take a moment and just think about that. Think about that in your life. What are the things

you really enjoy, the simple simplistic joys of this life that you say, when I have this

home with this person or when I'm having this conversation, it brings life to me. Or do

you just think that every day you have to get through it, get through tasks and accomplish

more and more and do more and be more? Some of God has for us in the season. It's very

hard. Sometimes it come back that, but you must. And when you think about life, people

have lots of good lives for lots of different reasons, but I want life abundantly. The life

that we live here on earth, this is not the end. We can have a lot of comfort here on

this life. There are things we strive for, but you want to build on it's really worth

it. You want to build something that is going to be long lasting. You don't want to live

a life that is just self centered, but you want to live life and life more abundantly. And

that abundantly part is the part that Jesus gives to us. So when you think about your life,

what are the abundant parts of it? You may just have blessings in certain areas. Do you

use those blessings that God has given you to bless other people? Or do you look at how

you can keep it for yourself? Do you really look at special needs and there's need all

the way around? How can you serve or help people? How can you speak blessing and give life

abundantly someone else? Sometimes we don't even have enough life in our own self. That's

hard for us even having a abundantly that we can give it to others. But Christ calls us to

live that way. I'm not just abundance of money or other resources, but this idea that

I have enough joy, I have enough peace, I have enough grace through Christ in me that I can

give it to other people and still feel okay. That don't have to live in a scarcity of

mindsets. And if I give more away than I'm losing something, but you cannot give God, you

can't just live your life always just being tight-fisted. So I want to encourage you this

Christmas season even beyond that you would remember that the world, things in this

world, it's not life giving, right? The thieves come to still kill and destroy. As John

10, 10, it tells us, but Jesus kind of made life and life more abundantly. Look at the

areas of your life they say, Lord, I need abundance, I need growth, I need you to do all you

can do. And you can be amazed at what can happen. So listen, I just want to pray and I just

want to say, you know, I hope that in all this, you take a moment to reflect. Think about

what you just heard, right? There's maybe areas of your life that you feel like the enemy

has come and stolen things from you and has destroyed some things, relationships and just

other areas. Maybe that's true, but Jesus can give you life. Ask them, right? He'll give

it to you abundantly. Take a moment after this video, sit, reflect, pray and see what God

would speak to you. So let me just pray with you right now and you guys can get on with

your day. Father, I thank you for everyone that's watching this video. I pray life over

them, Jesus. I ask that they would just see everything that is around them in a whole new

perspective that it would not be centered around just the pain or the emotion or just the joy

or excitement. But Lord, it'd be based upon what you are speaking to them day by day, Lord,

and little or in plenty that they would realize that God, that you are the true gift of life.

And it is the perfect gift that you give us every single day, Lord, that it says that you are

a good father and there's no good thing that you withhold from us. And we are thankful and

rejoicing that fact. So Father, be with everyone who's watching this video or they take a moment

to even reflect and pause before they pick up their phone or jump into the next thing. May they

just reflect upon you, Lord, and the areas that you want to bless their life and pray blessing

over them. Amen. Thank you. I appreciate it. Catch you guys next time.