The Gift

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
— 2 Corinthians 9:15

One of my favorite stories of all time is the short story by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), “The Gift of the Magi”. Set in the late 1800s, it tells of Della Young who discovers she has only $1.87 to buy her husband a Christmas present. He is the love of her life and his most prized possession is his pocket watch (a family heirloom). Her beautiful hair is said to outshine a queen’s jewels. She cuts it off and sells it to buy James a decorative chain to adorn his pocket watch. When it comes time to exchange gifts, James presents Della with a set of decorative combs for her hair he purchased from the sale of his watch. Thus, both gave up what they valued most to buy a gift for the other. Now both hold in hand a useless gift, but discover the greatest gift of all is a willingness to sacrifice for those you love.

What fascinates me most about this story is the author who artfully captured the greatest desire of humanity: being loved to the point of sacrifice. Especially since the author seemed to live a more selfish life. I can’t speak to his spiritual state, but his primary sacrifice was returning as a fugitive from Honduras to surrender to the U.S. authorities when he learned his wife was dying from tuberculosis. He cared for her till her death in 1897. Then, he began his 5 year prison sentence for embezzlement. He was a heavy drinker and died in 1910 of cirrhosis of the liver and other complications.

O. Henry was a master of capturing human emotion and empathy in word. He could guide thoughts to elation in his stories. So much so, that for more than 30 years after his death, people would regularly visit his grave and leave $1.87 (Della’s starting sum). However, his personal life was contrary to his scribbles, and scruples. It is a dire warning for those of us who dare to create.

Yet, it does little to undermine the truth of his work; the greatest gift is love unto sacrifice.

2 Corinthians 9:15 states, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” And what a gift it is. A gift of value I will never fully comprehend until the day I see Him face to face. He humbled Himself and came as a baby in swaddling clothes. Nursed by His mother. Fragile. Vulnerable.

He walked a lonely life of poverty, rejection, scorn and hatred. He was rejected in His own community. He was betrayed by His own followers. Questioned at every turn. Arrested as a common criminal.

He was beaten. Scourged. A crown of thorns was placed on His brow. He was humiliated. Dragged through the streets. Nailed to the cross as a common criminal. Even then the humiliation did not end. Until at last, He breathed His last.

Placed in a grave, He descended into the depths to conquer them. Rose on the third day and now sits on a heavenly throne.

He did it for you!

God gave His greatest gift for you. He did it to remove your sin, blemishes and debasement. He did it to free you from shame, guilt, regret and heartache. He did it to give you a new life. Make you a new creation. He did it so you could come alive to person He created you to be!

The gift has been presented. How will you respond?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

It is not enough to know about the gift. It is not enough to be able to write about it in a way that moves others. It is not enough. It is only when we come to the point we are willing to sacrifice all in exchange that the gift has value. It is when we come to the point we are willing to give everything we are to Christ. We are willing to put everything we have into His hands. We are willing to let go of our pride, position, and person.

When we come to the point we are willing to say, “Everything I am, I give to You!” In that moment, He responds by giving us everything He is. He gives us life, forgiveness, righteousness, holiness, love, acceptance and makes us complete in Him.

Friend, I pray you have experienced this gift exchange. I pray you experience the reality of it today. I hope you understand, as great as the sacrifice seems to be, it is nothing in comparison to the gift you receive in exchange. For the gift the world, your family, spouse and friends need today is the person you were created to be in Christ.

“But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere the are the wisest. They are the magi.” —O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi”

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

NOTE: If you would like to talk to someone about receiving this gift, please connect with me.

[I highly recommend reading the short story. You can find an online version here.]

Bah Humbug: My Christmas Story

“‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”
— Matthew 1:23

I’m not big on Christmas. That is hard to say as a Christian, but it is true. I fall more into the “bah humbug” chorus line. So, if you are thinking this is going to be a Hallmark movie type story-line, well…let’s not give away the ending just yet, because I have no idea what it is.

After my parents divorced, Christmas break became a dread for me. Don’t get me wrong. Everyone did their best to make it the best. I enjoyed seeing my family, the presents and festivities. However, I also spent a lot of time traveling to split time between families. I missed events, festivities and basketball practices. I struggled with finding joy in the season because I always felt I was missing out. I couldn’t be two places at once, and something was always going on wherever I wasn’t.

Wendy and I married right out of high school and started a new family. Our first Christmas together was going to change everything. However, it was filled with anything but joy. We spent 13 days at the hospital following my brother’s wreck, and laid him to rest one week before our first Christmas together.

For most of my life now, when December 2 arrives (the date of my brother’s wreck) the “bah humbug spirit” hits me hard. I tend to withdraw somewhat. I try not to plan meetings on December 2, 15 and 18 (dates of his wreck, death and burial). I also tend to withdraw from my wife, children and my Lord. It is not intentional, but it happens every year.

It happened again this year. This week I shirked my habits. I neglected my normal daily devotions and Bible study. So, this morning I decided to catch up. I read through several days of devotionals all at once. I tend to read 3 most days (from an author I tend to agree with, one I disagree with and one I don’t know). It challenges me to think and process from different perspectives.

I was amazed this morning when all 3 hit on the same theme multiple times, and I adamantly disagreed with all of them. All of them talked about sin in our life and how it puts “paralyzing roadblocks between us and our Heavenly Father.” They talked about how God would remove His presence from our lives. One of them wrote, “He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering heart.”

WRONG! Nothing could be further from the truth.

There is absolutely no doubt I am wrong during this season of the year. My heart does become cold, and I do wander in my grief. I tend to neglect what I know is right. And some years I have expressed it as outright sin. Yet, my Lord NEVER withdrew from me. I withdrew, but He was always present, knocking at the door.

“For He Himself has said,” declares Hebrews 13:5, “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) On and on I could go.

Paul understood this truth and penned the words, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

I withdraw. I change my focus. I can’t see Him. I feel distant. I feel alone. But He has not moved or changed. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) That was written just three verses after “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (v.5)

My “bah humbug spirit” doesn’t change Christ. Nor does it change Christmas. It is only a change in me. It is me not being able to see the reason for the season in the moment: God is with me!

“'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:22)

Christmas celebrates the moment God came and walked among us as a man. However, that was not just a point in human history over 2,000 years ago. It is today, and in this very moment. It is the life of every believer. God is with us! He is with us on December 25 and July 25 and every moment in between. Christmas is not a season, it is the life of a Christian. And if I can’t see Him in my life, it is me who needs to change.

Maybe you are like my wife and deeply enjoy the holiday season! Awesome! Shout the reason for the season loud and proud. Or maybe your like me and struggle through the holiday season. If so, I’m sorry. But trust this, God is with you! He loves you and desires to work through your life for healing, to restore relationships and to guide you; His child.

The coming of Immanuel (God with us) was never meant to be a holiday! It was meant to be an everyday experience in the life of believers. God is with you! He loves you! He desires to live through you on Christmas and every single day of your life. Don’t give a day more importance than it deserves. The reason we celebrate is the same every day of the year: Immanuel (God with us). When you don’t experience that truth, it is you who needs to change.

Hallmark Ending: Joseph married Mary. They had an amazing son, a carpenter from a small town. Jesus Christ changes the world. He took a farm boy from Texico, NM (too tied up in his own life to notice what matters) and gave him a gift of unimaginable power. The farm boy would at times ignore Jesus and act like He wasn’t there. Crises would follow, but Jesus never left him. As the power is revealed to be a new life in Christ, the farm boy realizes little by little that life is not about himself. It is about Jesus. And while the farm boy might not live happily ever after, he actually might struggle on a regular basis, he does have joy and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus will complete the work begun in his life! For God is always with him. Merry Christmas! THE END

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Smileyberg: Calling All Blacksmiths

“And Jehovah showed me four blacksmiths.”
— Zachariah 1:18-21

Smileyberg, KS is now a ghost town. However, its history is unique and deserves some remembrance. As Kansas was being settled, there were two features necessary to develop a town: a mercantile store and a blacksmith. Someone to sell you goods and someone to fix the things you had (or make something new). In an effort to recruit people, the establishment of a town often came down to naming rights. In Smileyberg it came down to Thomas Smiley (who set up the mercantile store) and Barney Berg (the blacksmith). Thus, Smileyberg was born—1908.

In today’s world, the role of the blacksmith is far removed from our thoughts. We are consumers. We throw away old items and order new ones. We don’t return products to the seller, we return them to the manufacturer for an instant replacement. It wasn’t always thus. There was a day when we would take almost everything to the smith for repair.

In fact, it wasn’t possible to build a town without a blacksmith. Everyone needed them. Carpenters, farmers, leatherworkers and every profession and family depended on the smith to fix what broke. In our verse today, we see a vision (Zachariah 1:18-21) of four horns which scattered the children of Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. In response comes four blacksmiths to fix the problem. As the passage reads, “…but the blacksmiths are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”

It is interesting the fix wasn’t a king, an army, a natural disaster, a supernatural warrior, a hero or a plague. It was honest workers. Those who fix practical problems. Those covered by soot and grim.

It is so easy to think the world revolves around charismatic, powerful and connected people. Yet, we live in a broken world with broken people. What could be more important than a smith? Someone who understands and is equipped for the “fix” people need: Jesus Christ.

Paul encourages us in Galatians 6:9-10, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

We often think that our little part doesn’t matter. How wrong we are! Song of Solomon 4:7 tells us, “There is no flaw in you.” The body of Christ is not like the vision of Babylon in Daniel 2 where the head was of fine gold, the chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet of clay; where the weakest link brought down the whole construct. The body of Christ has no flaw. It is fine gold all the way through. There are no meaningless parts. Every part is vital and flawless. And often, those which are most vital and receive the least notice are the smiths. The problem solvers.

The smiths fix the horns of contempt, anger, jealousy, envy and all manner of division which rise up to scatter the body of Christ. They don’t give majestic sermons, lofty worship songs or major financial contributions. They are soot covered, down in the trenches and walking in the thick of life to beat back the horns of division by simply doing what is good.

Never underestimate these unsung heroes. Rather strive to be one! In the past, no community was built without a blacksmith. In the church today, smiths are needed more than ever. Those who stand in heat of the fire, hammer away and create the tools which enable the community to work. Not through their own efforts, but by allowing Christ to work through them. Simply facing the day and trusting Christ to work, speak and act through their lives. What heroes they are! How I long to be one!

Lord, let me be a smith through which you build your community!

“Behold, I have created the blacksmith / Who blows the coals in the fire, / Who brings forth an instrument for his work;…” (Isaiah 54:16) We need more instruments for unity, community and the upbuilding of the kingdom of God.

The blacksmith’s shop is open. Apprentices wanted. Long hours. Extreme heat. Dirty. Low pay and lower recognition. But without you, no community can be built. For those who do not weary while doing good, in due season, they shall reap the reward. Applications accepted in person. In persons willing to allow Christ to work through their lives as problem solvers. Apply today!

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Life Unedited

“‘And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’”
— Exodus 20:25-26

When I published my first book, my father took a copy to my high school English teacher. She looked at it, chuckled and said, “Imagine that! Warren making a living doing the one thing for which he has absolutely no talent.” And she was right! I’m not a writer. I recently had an article edited for a national magazine and there was not a single line in the text without a correction. If you haven’t seen typos, grammatical errors, syntax errors and more in these devotions… then you are just as bad at English as me. The vast majority of my writings (and speeches) these days are unedited on purpose. I tend to live life unedited.

I spent years trying to find publishers, editors and others to clean up my work and make me look smart. What I tended to get back was even more bland and lifeless than when I began. I finally realized I’m a storyteller. I communicate ideas. What people remember is the story or the idea. So, I focused not on writing a piece that was perfect, but sharing as many ideas as possible. As long as you can understand what I’m saying, I’m satisfied.

The approach is very counterintuitive in our culture where social media trolls will hammer you for using the wrong to, too or two. It’s all a number 2 to me. The only thing I care about is whether or not you get the main idea, story or thought. Writing is a major way God works in my life. It is how I grow as a person. For me, living unedited is vital to my growth. I don’t think I’m alone. God has shown me no matter how much we try to edit our lives, we will all face Him unedited.

In Exodus, God instructed the Israelites in how to set up an alter to Him. He tells them in Exodus 20:25-26, “‘And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’”

He commanded them not to use tools. To do so would profane the alter. In other words, to edit the structure would be to ruin its purpose. It was to be built in worship to the Lord. God knew that anything man did to “improve” the altar would take away from its purpose by placing importance on man’s work. He was emphasizing the fact that there is nothing we can add to His finished work to improve it.

Throughout the Bible you see how God sees our lives unedited. Bathsheba is continuously referred to as the wife of Uriah the Hittite whom David murdered. Paul repeatedly reminds us that he was the enemy of Christ and complicit in the death of Stephen. Moses is prevented from entering the Promised Land because of his disobedience. On the other side, Ruth is regularly listed as the wife of Boaz in the genealogy of Christ (when wives are not listed) because of her faithfulness. Right or wrong, God loved them ALL. They were “a man after His own heart”, His faithful servants, His apostle and all were His children. Yet, they didn’t get to edit their life. Their story was part of His story and all the parts were important.

We don’t get to edit our story either. We are what we are. We have done what we have done. All we can do today is what Paul advised in Philippians 3:13-14, “…but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

I don’t discount editing in the work we do. It can be very beneficial. Maybe one day I’ll try it. Some of you might appreciate it if I did. But I’m painfully aware that life is unedited. Sure, we can make ourselves look great on social media, or to a small group of people for a short time. In the end, the person in the mirror and our Lord above knows the truth. Both see beyond the edits. Both know the full account.

However, unlike the person in the mirror, the Lord has tremendous love for you. He desires nothing but the best for you. He longs to work in and through your messy life to do something extraordinary; show you who He created you to be. No matter what we have done, His goal and purpose hasn’t changed. He created you to be His chosen, holy, royal priest and His special person. (1 Peter 2:9)

The second part of our verse today is that there were to be no steps up to the altar that might expose our nakedness. In other words, God’s altar is to be right down here in the muck of life. It is not something you climb towards; the climb would only expose our faults. He came to us. He meets us where we are (just as He did David, Moses, Paul, Stephen and Ruth). We might be tempted to take credit for a climb, but rather all the credit is due to Him who came down to us.

Jesus meets us where we are at the altar in our hearts. No tool can edit it. He takes us as we are and gives us all He is in return. His altar is not meant to expose our nakedness; our shame. It is not about humiliation. It is about honesty. We give Him our life unedited, and He gives us His life unblemished. He establishes us by His finished work. All we have to do is lay it all down on His altar holding nothing back. He certainly held nothing back from us!

Will you join me this week and put your unedited life into the hands of the Author and Finisher of our faith? He can turn our typos, bad grammar and syntax errors in life into beautiful stories of redemption and hope.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Thanks Giving or Judgment Giving?

“Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”
— Romans 14:4

Family. There is much wrapped up in the word. As we head this week into Thanksgiving, many will be contemplating all that word entails. I hope and pray you have a wonderful family and enjoy a blessed time together. Yet, many dread the very notion of spending time with family, or at least some of the family—especially that crazy Uncle Warren.

I want to take a moment and pause and consider how judgment comes into this scenario. We all know the history of our family. Who did what. Whose hurt who. Whose unreasonable. Whose abrasive. And we all know how the same old story ends for the hundredth time. With all we know about our family’s history, it is far too easy to pass judgment without much thought.

However, we are warned in the Bible not to judge. Several times, we are told not to pass judgment on others. Romans 14:4 poses the question, “Who are you to judge another’s servant?”

So are we supposed to just ignore history. No! We are to have discernment. In the Christian context, discernment is defined as a “perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding.” As 1 Thessalonians 5:21 states, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.”

We are to be wise. We have to protect ourselves and our family by holding fast to what is good for them. This means evaluating which situations we should be in and which we should not. It also means seeing things as they are, not as they used to be.

So, how does this differ from judgment? Judgment is final. Judgment is the conclusion of the trial when the sentence begins. Judgment leaves no room for people to change. It is the concrete shoes on the feet of a relationship dropped to the bottom of a lake.

Yet, God is the business of changing lives. As our verse today continues, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4) God is able to change the hardest heart. He is able to redeem the lost, raise the dead, heal the brokenhearted, heal the addict, bring joy to the depressed, calm the angry and much, much more. He is life change.

Discernment keeps the door open for change. It neither joins the world in misery nor tears down necessary boundaries. Yet, it allows for change. It hopes for it. It prays for it. It extends the hand of peace.

For many of us, there is one family member we pass judgment on more than any other: ourselves. We can be brutal to the person in the mirror. However, YOU are “another’s servant”: God’s servant. You have no right to even judge yourself! (See 1 Corinthians 4:3-4) Today, are you walking in judgment? Or discernment? Are you open to change? God is able to make you stand!

Here’s some common desires we struggle to find satisfaction for either in ourselves or our family, but in Christ they are satisfied every day. Give thanks that:

You are loved: Jesus said, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in my love.” (John 15:9)

You are accepted: “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made you accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6)

You are forgiven: “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses…” (Colossians 2:13)

You have everything you need for life and godliness: “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” (2 Peter 1:3)

You are a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”(2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

You are a new creation! God changed you spiritually and wants to work the change out in your life. Which includes your relationships. He longs to work through you as a minister of reconciliation.

I’m challenged this week not to walk in judgment, but in discernment. Finding my desires satisfied in Christ, I’m challenged to leave open the door of hope. To expect change. Change in myself, as I set my eyes on who God says I am. And change in my relationships, by growing as a minister of reconciliation. Real and meaningful change begins with giving thanks for what Christ has done, and ends in earnest expectation that He will bring it to completion!

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.