Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Taking the “IF” out of gIFt
By Elin Henderson

“…the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.”
           
Tis’ the season for gifts and gift giving. We are all making our lists and checking them twice not to mention hitting the shops in search of the perfect gift at the perfect price!

We often connect a lot of “ifs” to our gifts, don’t we? We buy gifts based on IF the person is a family or friend - - we aren’t apt to give complete strangers gifts. Sometimes gift-giving is only accomplished IF we have enough money or time to purchase gifts. We may even base our gifts on IF that certain person has or has not treated us well. It may mean the difference between a designer bag and socks!

How wonderful to know that there are no “ifs” attached to God’s gift. His gift of salvation is for all. It isn’t based on “IF you are good enough,” or “IF you jump through the right hoops,” or “IF you don’t fall away,” but He freely offers Himself, the perfect gift to us. There are no hidden clauses, no fine print, just a simple gift tag of “FREE.” This added “free” dissolves our “ifs,” after all a free gift is simply that, FREE! We just need to reach out and take it!

So, this holiday season, let us rejoice in the free Gift - - no IF’s attaches - - that was sent our way so many years ago and may we freely share it with others!

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable GIFT!” II Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

GOING DEEPER:                                                       
1. Do we sometimes add “ifs” to our spiritual walks as believers? “If only I served better…” “If only I was more like so-and-so”?
2. How can knowing who we are in Christ and His available free grace help us dissolve those “ifs”?

FURTHER READING:


Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa.  Elin is mother to fourteen-year-old Callie and twelve-year-old Elias.