November 28, 2023: The Gift
- Liana V.
- Nov 28, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 12, 2023
The Gift
“Now thanks be to God for His indescribable gift [which is precious beyond words]!”
2 Corinthians 9:15 AMP
“Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change.”
James (Jacob) 1:17 TPT
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29
Jesus is the REAL gift. Messiah. Emmanuel. Prince of Peace. How much receiving His gift have you done? I think this is a valid cause to reflect. Take a minute, I can wait.
Yeah sure, I know Jesus is the gift, but how much or how often do I take time to receive that? If I can be transparent with you, I think I rush right by it. You see, I know it. So of course, I don’t think I need to process it.
And I miss the very thing God meant for me.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”
Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
Knowing and receiving are two very different postures. Having a knowing attitude can prevent us from learning something new- or perhaps receiving what God wants for us.
How then do we train ourselves to be in a constant receiving or teachable position?
I’ve heard the analogy used many times of a beautifully wrapped gift being given. I can picture My sister-in-law Sherri’s gifts. She chooses the most beautiful wrapping paper, makes extraordinary bows from delicate ribbon, and tops it with an ornate tag with my name written on it.
It’s so beautiful, what if I left it unwrapped? I simply kept it to admire and look upon it, as if the packaging was the gift, and left it to never be opened, never to discover the REAL gift. The wonder within never discovered, the true reason for the packaging.
Do we do that with Jesus? I know I have. I spent the greater part of my life treating God like an unwrapped present. I was saved. I had accepted Jesus, confessed He is Lord, professed He was raised and living, but I left Him wrapped, His character undiscovered.
Maybe, like me you haven’t unwrapped all of Jesus’s character. There is nothing more transformative or foundational than discovering who Jesus is. Jesus is God’s solution to sin. He was the promise God gave in the garden. He is the gift.
'And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.” '
Genesis 3:15 AMP
I'm not sure you caught that. Did you? Jesus was and always has been God's solution to sin. The solution before sacrificing animals and the solution before the 10 commandments. Jesus is God's promise, His solution, His gift!
I thought it would be great to revisit Jesus' "I am" statements from John’s gospel in the context He is a gift, solution, and promise.
I Am The Bread Of Life (John 6:35)
I Am The Light Of The World (John 8:12)
I Am The Gate For The Sheep (John 10:7)
I Am The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
I Am The Resurrection And The Life (John 11:25)
I Am The Way The Truth And The Life (John 14:6)
I Am The True Vine (John 15:1)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing gift You’ve given us. Thank you for this indescribable gift, filled with goodness that far outweighs all else, that far exceeds our wildest dreams and expectations, that lavishes us in an unrelenting love. Help us to open ourselves up to discovering more about You! Let our curiosity not be satisfied by familiar or shallow things, draw us deeper in Godly fear into the knowledge and wisdom of who You are. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
I made these cute stars with the names of Jesus on them. I’ve included the free printable below from Hymns and Verses, if you’re interested in doing something similar to what I did.
Teacher Created Resources® Gold Glitz Stars Accents, Assorted Sizes, Pack of 30
This is so beautiful! This gave me inspiration to pull Jesus into my Christmas decorations! I bought all the stuff to make these to hang from my mantel! Jesus IS the reason for the season! ❤️
This is so good! I too know Jesus and know he had saved me. But for me so often I don’t always feel worthy to receive all of him. Like I don’t measure up to all he has for me. I don’t take the time to just revel in all his goodness, grace and mercy. To really just sit at his feet (like Mary) and receive all he has for me. I am working on that and will continue into next year to practice receiving all that Jesus is. I think once we can do that we can really help others to discover Gods kingdom and blessings ❤️