The Greatest Gift
Tis the season to fight your way through crowded malls, spend every dime you have, and max out your credit cards trying to buy gifts for those you love—and some for those you don’t.
But the greatest gift of all won’t cost you a cent. You won’t have to stand in a jam-packed store, waiting to be waited on, in order to purchase it. You won’t need to dig into your wallet to pay for it. And you won’t need to whip out your credit card to add one more charge to your already burdened account.
In fact, you can’t even buy this gift. All you can do is receive it. Someone else already bought it for you. And it cost Him everything.
Actually, it’s a gift with many facets, like a jewel—but so much better. It will never go out of fashion. You don’t have to worry about losing it. It can’t be torn or stolen. It will never break or need repair. You don’t have to purchase a warranty for it. And it will only improve as the years go by.
There happen to be enough of these gifts for everyone in the whole world. Unfortunately, many people don’t know about them, or they don’t understand that all they have to do is ask. No one who asks is ever turned down.
It’s the best Christmas gift you’ll ever receive. Here are a few of the things that come with it: forgiveness of sin (Eph. 1:7), peace (Jn. 14:27), love (Rom. 8:35), everlasting life (Jn. 3:16), abundant life (Jn. 10:10), a guaranteed inheritance (Eph. 1:3, 11, 14), and a brand new body someday (1 Cor. 15:50–54).
To receive this gift, all you have to do is agree with God that you are a sinner. The Bible says, “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecc. 7:20). If you have ever done anything that God Himself wouldn’t do, you fall short of God’s standard (Lev. 20:7; Rom. 3:23). So you qualify for this gift. In fact, you need it. That’s why God prepared it for you.
“God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ [Messiah] died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Jesus took the punishment for your sin because He loves you. And because He’s God, He arose from the dead and stands ready to give you the gift of eternal life. All you have to do is ask.
How can you be sure He’ll actually give it to you? Because He says, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (Jn. 6:37). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
Wouldn’t you like to receive God’s free gift of eternal life right now? Just ask. It’ll be the greatest gift you’ve ever gotten. And what better time to receive it than today!
