Tag: perfect gift

2020: The Pefect Gift

I am looking for that perfect gift, aren’t you? Stressful isn’t it? My gift giving strategy is to search, spend, and sew...and usually get stressed out at some point.  Check out the conversation below on finding the perfect gift…

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“Hello,
Yes…I found a really great gift for my sister. I know she will really love it! It cost a little more, well a lot more then we planned, but it is such a great gift and I love buying her nice things…. What?

No, I didn’t get him anything. Do we have to?  Yeah, I know he is your bother, but he doesn’t really deserve a gift…I know, I know he’s family, your family…Ok, how about you get one of those big tins of popcorn…that wouldn’t cost too much.

Alright, I will talk to you later… Oh wait, I forgot… your grandmother.We should get her a really nice gift this year. We haven’t stop by to see her much this year…an extra special gift will show how much we love her…Look…I have to go…Love you!” 

What was her gift giving strategy?                                                                                              Sister—perfect gift, $$$, something she will really love
His brother—perfect gift, $, quick, easy
His grandmother—perfect gift, $$$, something so she will know she is loved (buying love?)

What is God gift giving strategy?                                                                                                   Does He, like the woman above, give generously to those He really likes and grudgingly or not at all to those who He thinks doesn’t deserve it?

God, the true Father of Christmas, has a very different gift giving strategy. In fact, He has already given the perfect gift…

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

1:  HE GAVE  OUT OF LOVE

God so loved the world…

 God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgression, made us alive together with Christ. Ephesians 2: 4

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 1 John 4: 9

Think of it this way…we are all on His gift list…and He doesn’t check to see if we are naughty or nice…because He knows we cannot be nice enough to deserve a gift from Him, yet He offers it to us anyway.

2: HE GAVE A GIFT THAT HE VALUED

…that He gave His only begotten Son…

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Father God gave His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17). The Son that He gave power over all things (John 3:36) and showed all that He is doing (John 5:20). His only Son, he sent to earth and gave for us that He might be the propitiation for our sins.

3:  HE GAVE A GIFT THAT HAS LASTING VALUE

 …that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

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

We are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), with no hope. Yet God has not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord, His Son, Jesus Christ (1Thessalonians 5:9).

SO WHAT?  WILL YOU RECEIVE HIS GIFT?

Most memorable gift I have received was NOT on my wish list. It was Christmas at my grandparents’ house, I was probably 10 or 12 at the time.  I eagerly opened the small package I had received, only to find two pairs of underwear. I was so embarrassed and probably didn’t express my thanks very well (understatement!). As I think back, they were pretty and practical. Grandma probably thought she had found the “perfect gift”.

What would be the perfect gift from God? New house…car…job, more money??                 God has offered you the perfect gift. It may not be what you thought you wanted, but it is just what you need. Will you receive it today?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”            Ephesians 2:8

God’s Giving Strategy

Did you notice in my last post that each of the gift giving personalities or strategies were more about the one giving the gift then the recipient?  If I procrastinate, it is because I am not sure what to buy.  If I am a planner, it is because buying early helps me…etc…shopping_2309293b

What about the “perfect gift”?  This too, can be more about how we feel about the person, then what he / she would like.  If I love someone am  I more likely to search for a nice gift?  And, if I am giving out of a sense of obligation, am I more likely to quickly chose a so-so gift? And what about guilt?  If I feel guilty about the relationship, am I likely to buy a gift based on what will make me feel better?

Do we question God about we believe He uses similar giving strategies?  Such as, if God loves someone more then me, is He more willing to forgive, help, or even bless them than me? Does God give to all or just some?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him”.  John 3:16-17

The world…God so loved..sent His Son…not to judge…be saved through Him

The world  is all people and it is made up of sinners…“all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23) and apart from Jesus Christ the world is perishing, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord“. (Rom 6:23)

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood we whall be saved from the wrath of God through Him”. Romans 5:8-9.

God loves all and shows His love by sending His Son.

He gives the free gift of salvation to all…who believe in His Son. 

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12)

The question is not God’s love, but our response to His love. Will we accept His gift…

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift”!

2 Corinthians 9:15