The Greatest Gift
John 3:16-17, for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
I would like to tell you a story. This story is about Jesus and how and why He came to Earth on a rescue mission.
Genesis 1: 26-27, then God said, let us make humankind in our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the wild animals of the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the Earth. So, God created humankind In His Image, and the image of God He created them, male and female He created them.
Just to explain what the image of God is, I ran across this statement that I would like to share with you. This came from one of the Bibles that I have. The biblical view is similar as people were created in the image of God, embodying His qualities and doing His work. They are symbols of His presence and act on His behalf as representatives. The two words used in the text differ in nuance. Image refers to something that contains the essence of something else while likeness is more connected to substance expressing a resemblance at some level.
Man with his Free will drifted from God’s perfect plan, and in time became his own God. God hates sin, in any form or degree, and man sinned.
God tried to get man back on track for hundreds of years by sending prophets to teach and guide the people. The problem was and is that sin puts you under the control of satan, the picture of ultimate Evil.
It was obvious to God from the start, that man could not pay the debt of his sins to his creator. Man tried with blood sacrifices of animals, but that only covered sin, it didn’t forgive sin.
The only way to pay a perfect God, was with a perfect blood sacrifice. There was no other way to pay for the sin price. Hell was in the future.
Our sinless perfect creator sent His sinless perfect Son, to shed His sinless perfect blood as a way to pay for our sin debt. Jesus came to this earth on a rescue mission. His mission was to live as a man, in the flesh, and experience everything that man experiences. He was to teach man how to live by His example and in the end to be a blood sacrifice to forgive sins for all who accept Him.
This was the first step in God’s plan for man’s Redemption. This was our Creator’s perfect gift to us. His perfect gift cost the highest price that can ever be paid. His Son gave His life for us. The rest of this story ends with His death and resurrection. That story is for another day.
Have any of us really thought about this at Christmas time, or any time for that matter? Have we been grateful for what Jesus did? Have we accepted Jesus as our savior? Have we tried to follow Him in even a small way?
There is a way to show our appreciation. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to come into your heart as your savior. One other thing. Tell Jesus that you give your heart and the rest of your life to do God’s will. Celebrate Christmas as Jesus birth, your Redemption, and your new life in him. I did, and it is beyond words.
It is fine to celebrate Christmas with Christmas trees and all the rest of it but let us not forget the most important reason of all and that is Jesus Christ’s birthday. Think on this, if He didn’t come to this earth, and do what He did, we would all be headed for an eternity with satan. This was God’s beginning of the Redemption of all mankind. God bless you and your family.
Praise The Lord!
Remember Jesus loves you.
Prayer of Salvation.
Lord Jesus, please forgive all of my sins, and come into my heart as my personal savior. I want to serve only you.
Praise The Lord!
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment