This is the time of year we think a lot about gifts. We enjoy receiving them, but we enjoy giving them even more. Sometimes we pick up whatever is on sale, and other times, especially for those we really care about, we search tirelessly for that perfect gift that is just right for them.
We naturally think of people giving gifts, but did you know that the Bible says God gives gifts, gifts He has specially selected for us. Too often we think of God's gifts and grace as being the rain on the dry crops or the sun that warms the ground or the beautiful sunset or even the good luck that comes our way. As wonderful as these things can be, they are not the most important gifts from God. God loved us so much that He tirelessly searched for gifts especially suited to us, gifts that satisfy our deepest needs.
The most important gift and the greatest gift of all is the gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. John said:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Let this verse sink into our thinking. It indicates, to use the language of accommodation, that in eternity past, the Triune God devised a plan whereby He would give His Son for the sole purpose of voluntarily leaving the glory of heaven, coming down into this sin cursed world and dying a criminal's death on the cross--for us. On the cross, He took onto Himself the condem- nation, wrath and punishment we deserved. There, He died our death. There, He did all that was necessary to satisfy the demands of an infinitely holy God, who could not just sweep sin under the carpet and let sinners off the hook. There, He dealt with sin once for all on our behalf.
How much have you thought about this gift? Sometimes we think of it very generally at Christmas or Easter time: God gave Himself for the world. But that is not where God wants us to leave it. That is not where the Apostle Paul left it. He personalized it, saying, "and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20b)." We need to personalize it too, saying, "God gave His Son for me!"
As with any gift, God's gifts must be received. Each person must accept them for himself, and the Bible says we do this by believing. We accept God's gift of His Son by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished on our behalf at the cross of Calvary. It is one thing to say He took the sins of the whole world onto Himself there, but quite another to say He took my sins onto Himself there, I believe. It is one thing to say Christ took all the righteous and just wrath of an infinitely holy God had for the whole world onto Himself there, but quite another to say He took the wrath I deserved there, I believe. Don't just say He died for the whole world; say, with Paul, "He died for me" and receive this gift from God.
But this isn't all. The Apostle Paul tells us about other gifts God is offering to us today. One is the gift of righteousness: "much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17b)." God has prepared for us a gift of righteousness that gives believers all we need to stand in right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
But even this isn't all: "For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23)." God has provided for us the gift of life, not just the temporary life of this world, but eternal life because it is found in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whom God raised from the dead and is now alive forevermore.
Too often we think of God as a stingy God who doles out blessings grudgingly. But that is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible offers gifts freely to all who will accept them. If you have not already, make this the greatest Christmas ever. Accept God's gifts by believing in Him and His Word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and participate in the Gift of God's Own Son. Believe in what Christ did on the cross for you and rest on His Gift of Righteousness. Believe and be united to the Risen Christ where the Gift of Eternal Life resides. These gifts are way better than rain and sunshine and sunsets and even occasional good luck.
OUR FERVENT PRAYER IN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON IS THAT WE WILL NOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE GIFTS OF THIS WORLD, BUT WILL RECEIVE BY FAITH THE GLORIOUS GIFTS FROM GOD, WHICH MEET OUR MOST BASIC NEEDS AND SUPPLY US WITH THINGS OF INFINITE AND ETERNAL VALUE.
We naturally think of people giving gifts, but did you know that the Bible says God gives gifts, gifts He has specially selected for us. Too often we think of God's gifts and grace as being the rain on the dry crops or the sun that warms the ground or the beautiful sunset or even the good luck that comes our way. As wonderful as these things can be, they are not the most important gifts from God. God loved us so much that He tirelessly searched for gifts especially suited to us, gifts that satisfy our deepest needs.
The most important gift and the greatest gift of all is the gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. John said:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Let this verse sink into our thinking. It indicates, to use the language of accommodation, that in eternity past, the Triune God devised a plan whereby He would give His Son for the sole purpose of voluntarily leaving the glory of heaven, coming down into this sin cursed world and dying a criminal's death on the cross--for us. On the cross, He took onto Himself the condem- nation, wrath and punishment we deserved. There, He died our death. There, He did all that was necessary to satisfy the demands of an infinitely holy God, who could not just sweep sin under the carpet and let sinners off the hook. There, He dealt with sin once for all on our behalf.
How much have you thought about this gift? Sometimes we think of it very generally at Christmas or Easter time: God gave Himself for the world. But that is not where God wants us to leave it. That is not where the Apostle Paul left it. He personalized it, saying, "and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20b)." We need to personalize it too, saying, "God gave His Son for me!"
As with any gift, God's gifts must be received. Each person must accept them for himself, and the Bible says we do this by believing. We accept God's gift of His Son by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished on our behalf at the cross of Calvary. It is one thing to say He took the sins of the whole world onto Himself there, but quite another to say He took my sins onto Himself there, I believe. It is one thing to say Christ took all the righteous and just wrath of an infinitely holy God had for the whole world onto Himself there, but quite another to say He took the wrath I deserved there, I believe. Don't just say He died for the whole world; say, with Paul, "He died for me" and receive this gift from God.
But this isn't all. The Apostle Paul tells us about other gifts God is offering to us today. One is the gift of righteousness: "much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17b)." God has prepared for us a gift of righteousness that gives believers all we need to stand in right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
But even this isn't all: "For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23)." God has provided for us the gift of life, not just the temporary life of this world, but eternal life because it is found in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whom God raised from the dead and is now alive forevermore.
Too often we think of God as a stingy God who doles out blessings grudgingly. But that is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible offers gifts freely to all who will accept them. If you have not already, make this the greatest Christmas ever. Accept God's gifts by believing in Him and His Word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and participate in the Gift of God's Own Son. Believe in what Christ did on the cross for you and rest on His Gift of Righteousness. Believe and be united to the Risen Christ where the Gift of Eternal Life resides. These gifts are way better than rain and sunshine and sunsets and even occasional good luck.
OUR FERVENT PRAYER IN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON IS THAT WE WILL NOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE GIFTS OF THIS WORLD, BUT WILL RECEIVE BY FAITH THE GLORIOUS GIFTS FROM GOD, WHICH MEET OUR MOST BASIC NEEDS AND SUPPLY US WITH THINGS OF INFINITE AND ETERNAL VALUE.