Giving Out of Love
By Marshall Gonzales
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV
This time of the year people’s attention turns to giving. They will spend hours looking for that just-right gift for that special person. They will travel miles in search of that one gift they feel will bring happiness into someone’s life. They are willing to put up with crowds of people, long hours of searching, and miles of travel. The reason they will go through all of this is because of love. They want to demonstrate their love to that special someone.
Amazingly Jesus did the same. Over two thousand years ago, He traveled many, many miles to come to this planet as a baby. Then He spent hours among the people, preaching, teaching, and healing. He ran into all kinds of crowds, some who were happy to see him and some who did not want him around. Jesus traveled all those miles, spent all those hours, and put up with all those crowds, not because he was looking for a special gift, but because he wanted to demonstrate a special gift; God’s love for you.
John 3:16 tells us, because God loves us, because God loves you, he gave the greatest gift of all! He gave his only Son! He gave Jesus! Please notice that the scripture does not say that God loves us because he gave us Jesus, but rather that because He loves us, he gave us Jesus. God gave out of love!
It is always wonderful to receive a gift from someone that loves you, but it is twice as nice when the gift you receive has another gift inside! God loves us so much He gave us Jesus. What a wonderful gift! Yet, Jesus loves us so much, He gave us the gift of eternal life! Wow! What a truly magnificent gift! 1 John 5:11,12 says, “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life….” The reality is that when you receive the gift that is Jesus, you also receive the gift that is eternal life. You cannot have one without the other. The most amazing thing of all is that the gift of Jesus and the gift of eternal life are both given by God who gives out of love!
As you are giving and receiving gifts during this time of the year, don’t miss the gifts that bring real love and happiness. Don’t forget to receive the gift that is Jesus and the gift that is eternal life. These gifts are more valuable than anything you will ever receive. As you receive them, remember that they are given to you by God who gives out of love and that would be out of love for you.
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