At about age ten or eleven, I remember going with my little brother and our parents to buy some toys. Not far from home was one of the best stores to shop at. It was a tall, 2-3 story warehouse building on the corner of Broadway Ave. in Brooklyn near the El.
It was easy to get to walking, but for this occasion we had to take our car because my parents would be buying lots of stuff. The minute you stepped in the store, you were taken aback due to its height and volume. It was huge! We loved it! After being closed down for several years, it had recently opened-and we were glad! What impressed me most was the number of toys and games. They were stacked really high. I remember seeing what just about every kid wanted: a Johnny Eagle hunting toy rifle/gun combination. The boxes must’ve been stacked at least 15’ high. One could choose from the Magumba, The Red River, or The Lieutenant. I got the Magumba-it didn’t come with the gun, but it was nice, and I still have it! That was over fifty years ago! I still have the toy bullets that go with it. My brother and I had to stay put in one place once my parents began getting more and more toys. It was easier to leave them with us while they shopped. I doubt there were shopping carts back then, at least in that store. Besides, the store was packed. Something else I received that year was a Lionel Train set! What kid doesn’t love a classic train?
I remember leaving the store around 9:30-10:30 p.m. We dashed home!
Almost everyone loves shopping! We love going to see what’s out there. And Christmastime, with all its lights, mechanical decorations and lights, appeals to us all.
God wants us to shop! He’s into shopping too! Isaiah 55:1 tells us: “Ho, come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?”
Wine and milk speak of the anointing and spiritual growth in a believer. “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” (John 7:37). He’s out to satisfy our thirst for all things spiritual. He is Living Waters. If you’ve been running from religion to religion, or from humanistic emptiness; or from anything that’s full of promises, promises but has left you empty, you need Jesus in your life. The difference? Only a round peg fits in a round hole. Likewise, only Jesus can fill the emptiness in the human heart meant to house God. Only He can fill the void-any void.
He even hands out free samples! “O taste and see that the LORD (Yahweh) is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him” (Psalm 34:8). When we’ve gone from fountain to fountain, that is, from one source to another seeking thrills or frills to fill our wills, and find that nothing does, try God. And not all the crazy rules and objections that man might impose, but give yourself to Him. Wrap yourself in His forgiveness. Tie a bow of His love around yourself and say, “Here I am God, please accept me.” And He will! Now place yourself under the tree. Afterall, your name’s already there! When Jesus died on the tree (Acts 5:30), it was for you that He died. He was thinking of you. He nailed your name there with all your sins, and all your shortcomings! Amazing!
Who says God can’t relate to us?! He went shopping for us all: “You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies” (1Corinthians 6:20 NIV). Only, His shopping wasn’t with money or credit cards, not even Bitcoin or checks; but with His life. With His precious blood. This Christmas season let’s honor God in all we do.
God Bless!
Sam
