Gift

Christmas is over.  The prettily wrapped and ribbon clad boxes are opened, enjoyed and hopefully (maybe???) put away.  Family and friends may have gone home, and one more holiday to go before settling in for the winter.  Most of us feel about 10 lbs heavier. 

But there is one gift that lasts.  And as I thought about the first Christmas I remembered that God gave the first gift ever.  And the angels sung the first carols.  The shepherds shared the first gathering around the Savior with God's chosen couple.  And this first gift never gets old, never gets put away.  It's ours to keep for eternity!  It's the gift of God's love and salvation that came to earth wrapped in the form of a human baby.  We never have to return it because it's always going to be the right size for our hearts.  And we will never finish unwrapping it, because it's filled with all God's eternal graciousness. 

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Romans 5:16-17  And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin.  For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.  For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many.  But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.  

Ephesians 2:8  God saved you by His grace when you believed.  And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 

God's grace through Jesus brought salvation, righteousness, reconciliation, and eternal life to us here on earth.  What a wonderful, immeasurable gift!  The fullness of this gift cannot be realized here on this side of Heaven, but one day....when we enter His gates, oh what amazement, what awe and wonder we will find and feel!  Thank You Father for this priceless, unfathomable gift! 

Thank You, eternally thank You....still not enough, but thank You.  And thank You for showing me these parallels to share, for the reminder that You are always the initiator.  1 John 4:9-10  God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.  This is real love--not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  What a gift!  What a Savior.  What love!!  Oh, Lord, this gift never gets old, but we do tend to take it for granted.  Let that change.  Help us to get excited and stay excited over this most precious of gifts.  Thank You.  In Jesus' name, amen

Have you accepted this gift?  If not, now is the time, today is the day.  If  you have, why not spend some time thinking about it in worship, thanksgiving and praise.