A Non-Tangible Gift for Jesus
A Time to Reflect, Examine, and Give From the Heart
Each year, during the season when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated, I set aside time for a different kind of birthday celebration.
Instead of exchanging gifts for ourselves or allowing the season to become centered upon material things, I ask a simple question:
What Can I Give to Jesus?
The gift must be Non-Tangible.
It is not something that can be purchased, wrapped, placed beneath a tree, or held in our hands.
It requires us to search within ourselves and consider what we can give to Jesus from our hearts and our lives.
The Purpose
This observance is not about creating another ritual or tradition.
It is an opportunity to turn our attention toward Jesus Christ through reflection, examination, repentance, gratitude, obedience, and renewed commitment to His will.
The question is personal:
“LORD, What Can I Give to You?”
Perhaps there is something God has been telling you to surrender.
Perhaps there is something He has told you to change.
Perhaps there is someone you need to forgive.
Perhaps He is requiring greater obedience, more time with Him, repentance, reconciliation, trust, or surrender.
The gift is not determined by another person.
It should come from sincere examination before God.
The Gift Must Be Non-Tangible
The central guideline is simple:
The Gift to Jesus Cannot Be a Material Gift.
It is not money.
It is not an object.
It is not something purchased merely for the occasion.
The purpose is to search your heart and ask what you can offer Jesus that reflects your love for Him and your willingness to respond to what He is requiring of you.
This is between you and God.
Begin With Examination
Before deciding upon your gift, spend time with God.
Pray.
Examine yourself.
Ask Him to show you what needs attention in your life.
A fitting prayer is found in Psalm 139:23–24 (KJV):
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Do not begin by examining someone else.
Begin with yourself.
Then ask:
“Jesus, What Can I Give to You?”
Your Personal Response
Once you have prayerfully determined your Non-Tangible gift, write it down.
The written card is not the gift itself.
It simply records the personal commitment you are making to Jesus.
The true gift is what you have chosen to surrender, change, obey, restore, begin, stop, or give from your heart in response to Him.
The commitment should be sincere.
This is not about making an emotional promise for a single day.
It is about responding to God.
Hosting Your Own Non-Tangible Birthday Celebration for Jesus
Individuals, families, churches, ministries, Bible-study groups, and other appropriate gatherings may hold their own Non-Tangible Birthday Celebration for Jesus.
The gathering should remain reverent and Christ-centered.
The emphasis is not entertainment, material gifts, or attention upon ourselves.
It is Jesus Christ.
Participants should be given time to reflect and pray before determining their Non-Tangible gift.
No one should be pressured to disclose publicly what he or she has written.
The response is personal and is made before God.
The Celebration
The gathering may include prayer, KJV Scripture, worship, reflection, and time for participants to consider their response to Jesus.
The focus should remain simple:
Remember Him.
Examine yourself.
Listen to God.
Determine what you will give to Jesus.
Respond sincerely.
This is a birthday celebration in which the attention remains upon the One whose birth is being remembered.
The Cards
For church or group celebrations, participants may write their Non-Tangible gifts or commitments on cards prepared for the occasion.
These cards are private.
They should not be collected for leaders to read, displayed publicly, or used to evaluate participants.
For the church celebration format established by Dissect My Soul Ministries, the cards are destroyed at the conclusion of the service.
The written card is temporary.
The commitment made to Jesus is not.
For Children
Children may also participate when the celebration is presented in an age-appropriate way.
The purpose is not to frighten or pressure them. It is to help them think about loving Jesus through choices such as obedience, kindness, forgiveness, prayer, truthfulness, gratitude, and giving up attitudes or behaviors they understand need to change.
A fitting Scripture for children is:
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
~ 1 John 4:4 (KJV)
Children’s materials should remain simple, reverent, and centered upon Jesus.
This Is Not About One Day
Christmas provides the occasion for the celebration, but the commitment should not end when the gathering ends.
If you have told Jesus that you will surrender something, change something, obey something, forgive someone, seek Him more deeply, or give Him something from your heart, the important question becomes:
Will I Live What I Gave Him?
That is where the Non-Tangible gift becomes more than words written on a card.
It becomes a response.
A Birthday Gift From the Heart
The purpose of the Non-Tangible Birthday Celebration for Jesus is simple:
Not another gift beneath a tree.
Not another possession.
Not another Christmas ritual.
But a moment to turn our hearts toward Jesus Christ and ask:
“What Can I Give to You?”
And then, when He shows us—
Give It to Him.
Zelma McKinney
Minister of God’s Word, Teacher, and Messenger of the Most High God
Founder, Dissect My Soul Ministries