As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas season, let us not forget to give to our Father in heaven who has given us so much. My kids make out Christmas wish-lists for me so that my wife and I can make sure that we are buying things for them that they desire. I know that I don't like looking forward to opening a Christmas present only to find something that I don't like or want. So I try not to give someone something that I don't think that they would like to have. Something that is a desire of theirs. But what do you get the person who not only has everything (for the earth is His and the fullness thereof-Psalm 24:1), but created everything(John 1:3). I believe this would be the start of God's Christmas wish-list:

1. 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
a. When I think of what God desires or wishes this is the first thing that comes to mind. Now I love going back to the original Greek text and seeing what it says. I happen to use the Majority Text compiled by Hodges/Farstad. The Greek word for 'willing' here is boulomenos - to continuously wish or desire something. This isn't will as in what is God's will or plan for us but more like a desire like I desire to own a 12 string acoustic guitar. So God doesn't wish or desire any to be apolesthai - utterly destroyed, but all should metanoian - have their mind renewed. What does it say in Romans 12? Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. God is no respecter of persons, we know that Christ came for all and died for all, that we all might have eternal life.

2. John 4:23 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."
a. When God created Adam, they had a relationship that was lost when Adam fell. And God has been seeking that relationship since. When Christ died and rose again, we were given the opportunity to have that relationship with God. The word 'seeks' in this verse is zetei - to seek for something that you strongly desire, typically something that you have lost. The Father is seeking for true worshipers for this is what He strongly desires.

3. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."
a. The word 'will' here isn't the typical word thelema. Thelema is will but it is more along the lines of what are your plans or ambitions. As when Christ said 'Not my will (plans or ambitions) but yours be done'. The Father desires or wishes to give the gifts of the Spirit to those who serve Him. The gifts are for proving His Word to be true. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?" (Hebrews 2:3,4) Thereby the world can believe. The vast majority of the time, Christ and the apostles (through Christ's name and power) healed the people before they repented and believed. The gifts of the Spirit are so the world will know that they can believe in He who sent that Spirit.

4. Hebrews 6:13-17 "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing (wishing or desiring) more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:"
a. God desires above all things to show us, the heirs of the promise, the total 'unchangeableness' of His promise to us. I like the way the Revised Standard Version put verse 17: "In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath." You see if we don't believe Him, how can we convince the world to believe Him? So He has given us record of His promises fulfilled so that we may believe. For we know that, "without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

So let us give the Father the things He desires.
1. Let us 'be transformed by the renewing of our minds' (Romans 12:2)
2. Let us worship Him in spirit and in truth
3. Let us give ourselves over to Him so that He may give us the gifts of the Spirit
4. Let us 'believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who search for Him out of a strong desire'