A GIFT WORTHY OF RECEPTION

12/16/90
A GIFT WORTHY OF RECEPTION
II CORINTHIANS 9: 15
(PAGE 1695 COME ALIVE BIBLE)
JESUS CHRIST'S birth was God's way of saying, "Merry Christmas,
planet earth. I have a present for you."
JESUS CHRIST was the reference when Paul wrote, "Thanks be to
God for His unspeakable gift..." (II Cor. 9:15).
The gift is indescribable, inexpressible, marvelous, and
wonderful. The gift is Jesus Christ Himself.
Our distinctive southern tongues have a way of making certain
words sound alike. Two such words are presents and presence.
"Presents" meaning gifts and "presence" meaning to be in close
proximity. God's present to the population of planet earth was
the presence of His Son, Jesus Christ.
A gift is an expression of the giver's heart. The recipient gets
it but not because it is earned, merited, or deserved. It is
simply an expression of the loving heart of the giver.
Wouldn't it be a magic Christmas if you placed neatly wrapped
packages under the tree with names of family members on them and
then set up a cash box to collect a fixed sum for each? The
moment you received money for one it would not be a gift, but a
purchase.
The gift of God the Father is Jesus. His name evidences the
scope of the gift. Jesus means, "Jehovah is Salvation." Thus, in
the end, the gift is salvation.
Suppose God had said, "You can purchase your salvation." That
would have left out millions who are too poor to buy their
salvation.
Suppose He had said, "Be good enough and I will give it to you,"
or "Do enough good deeds and you can merit your salvation." Who
could have done that much ...

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