But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8
Who is on your gift list this Christmas? Usually, we give gifts to family and friends. We want to buy gifts for people we love and people we care about. We tend to give gifts to those who treat us well, people who are kind and considerate to us. And often we will give gifts in return for gifts that we have received. Some of us will even buy gifts for our pets.
However, we generally don’t buy gifts for our enemies, do we? We don’t give a gift to the person who has slandered us in the past year. We don’t give a gift to the irate neighbor who never has a kind word to say. We don’t give a gift to someone who has tried to run us out of business. Nor do we send a gift to the thief who stole the car stereo last month.
But think about this: when God sent Jesus Christ, His Son, and gave us this ultimate gift, He gave it to us while we were still His enemies. The Bible tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We did nothing whatsoever to merit or deserve this gift. In fact, what we really deserve is judgment, because we all have sinned against God. We all have deliberately crossed that line.
The amazing truth of Christmas is that, in spite of our sins, God sent His Son to save us. In that tiny manger in Bethlehem, He gave us an undeserved gift.
Share what receiving God’s undeserved gift of Jesus means to you.
God’s gift to me reminds me to be Thankful and humble. To forgive people who have hurt me and work harder to be a better example of God’s love. Thank you for your gift of inspiration.
Dear Pastor Greg,
Just want to thank you for your heartfelt dedication to teaching God’s Word. In particular I want to thank you for establishing a church in Orange County. I’m grateful to your son, Christopher, whom you credit for urging you to start a church here.
I’ve been attending since your first night’s service at Free Chapel, looking forward to every service. Frequently on Thursday nights I feel I could sit & listen to you all night long. At every service I thank God for allowing me to drive myself to attend services. Thank you for pushing through to teach God’s Word & His ways, no matter how exhausted you feel. I appreciate your family. Under your teaching & guidance Jonathan’s spiritual growth is so obvious to us all. It’s a real challenge for a shy person to speak publicly. Jonathan has mastered it. In it all, his heart shows. May God bless you all.
love,
LS
I am at odds with my son and have been for a few years. This year I was thinking of not sending him his usual Christmas check, he lives out of state and I never hear from him. But after reading your message “An Undeserved Gift” I changed my mind.