The Gift of the Magi

Welcome as we take another look into the life and message of Elizabeth Alliot.

She called us to live to a higher standard and to not settle for a shallow substitute instead of what God wants us to have.

As our series continues in the coming weeks, we'll hear from

family, friends, and others, all influenced by the life and message of Elizabeth Elliott.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Well, today we get to look at one of my favorite Christmas-related stories,

a classic called The Gift of the Magi, a tale of love and sacrifice.

And as we think about the gift of the magi, we'll be thinking as well about gift giving

as strategy for reaching those who have never trusted

in Jesus Christ.

Also heard today, it'll be Quinn Hood, who works with us here at the Elizabeth Elliott Foundation,

as she talks about the importance of obedience in the ministry of Elizabeth Alliant.

But let's get to that classic tale, the gift of the magi.

It's Christmas Eve. What can I do if things are looking bleak? Well, besides crying, it's a story of love,

low income, and sacrifice. The gift of the magi.

You are loved with an everlasting love. That's what the Bible says. And underneath are the

everlasting arms. This is your friend Elizabeth Elliott. Reading today a story by O. Henry,

one that's probably familiar to many of my listeners, but I think it's a lovely Christmas

story, and it certainly has some lessons for us. It's called the gift of the magi, and it's not

the magi in the Bible, as you will discover. One dollar and 87 cents, that was all, and 60 cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time

by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned

with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

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