Taking the “IF” out of gIFt
By Elin Henderson
“…the
free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.”
Romans
6:23b (NKJV)
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:
