The Greatest Gifts預覽

THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION

Have you ever received something totally free, with no strings attached? Marketing executives often create advertising campaigns around free giveaways. They’re called “B1G1F.” That’s advertising speak for “Buy One, Get One Free!” Or “BOGOFree!” You know deep down that whatever they give away isn’t free, is it? Somebody had to pay for the free product being given away, right? That person is usually you, in the form of buying something else in the store at a greater markup to cover the cost of the free giveaway.

Well, the gift of salvation is free for you and me. All we have to do is ask for it, and God is quick to give it to us.

Immense in mercy and with incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in the highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play a major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. (Ephesians 2:4-9, MSG).

When you read this, you can’t help but see that the gift of salvation is a beautiful gift of faith, given not because of anything we’ve done but because of God’s love. He wants to shower grace and kindness upon us. Do you remember when someone just showered grace and kindness upon you? Even when you didn’t deserve it? Perhaps it was a parent, a teacher, a spouse, or a close friend.

God gives. We receive.

If you are a giver, sometimes it can be really hard to receive, can’t it?

There was a season in my life when I gave and gave and gave. I had this spreadsheet all worked out, and I was on track to give away half of my income by the time I turned 50 years old. And then I lost my job. It was my turn to receive. Boy, was that ever a challenge! But God taught me something. In order to truly appreciate the gift, I had to joyfully receive it. During this time, an almost complete stranger gave us a couple of thousand dollars. It was a sacrifice for them to give. I didn’t want to receive it. But then, I realized that if I minimized the gift, I minimized the giver.

Thanks to Jesus’ death on the Cross of Calvary and His gift of laying down His life, we have the gift of life and life eternal. And if He hadn’t been born during this Advent season, He could not have given us this incredible gift.

So open your hands, get down on your knees, and receive this most wonderful gift- the free gift of salvation.

PRAYER

Thank you, God, for the ultimate gift, the free gift of salvation. Please give me a heart that truly appreciates this gift and the giver. In Jesus’ name. Amen.