The Gift of Jesus 

-


The judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift... resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. — Romans 5:16-17

What is the most special gift you’ve ever received? Did you receive it on your birthday, for Christmas, or on another occasion? Through the years I’ve received some amazing gifts, but Jesus is the most marvelous gift ever given. And it is the most needed gift ever given.

The apostle Paul taught that by one man — Adam — sin entered the world, and death was pronounced upon all, for in Adam all have sinned. On the other hand, grace entered the world through Jesus, and a forgiven life and eternal life are available to all who believe. Adam brought into the world sin, offense, judgment, condemnation, disobedience, and eternal death.

Yet Christ brought grace, justification, righteousness, obedience, and eternal life.

Christ’s death saved us from God’s wrath. We now live with hope of eternal life rather than under the curse of death. We rejoice in God who, in His Son, atoned for our sins. Our justification is complete and irrevocable; there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. And Paul confidently wrote that “he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

What a marvelous gift!

Prayer

Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus. Thank You that because of Him I will one day stand before You cleansed of my sin, welcomed by You, and not condemned. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

~ Dr. Lee Sheppard, Mabel White Baptist Church, Macon, GA

*** Excerpt from The Gift of Jesus by Johnny Hunt.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You did it! Congratulations on finishing the Love Does Challenge

-
Image
You did it! Congratulations on finishing the Love Does Challenge! We pray that you've been inspired to go out and love others this month with an audacious love like Jesus!  Remember: love isn't something we do, it's someone we become as we start to live out God’s love for others on a daily basis. So if your journey still feels like a work-in-progress, and five days didn’t seem like long enough, we invite you to dive deeper into the Love Does experience by starting the five-week Bible study. This study is perfect for personal use or for small groups. Why not start a neighborhood group in your home and start loving on the people around you, right where you are? Invite your neighbors over for a Love Does video night! Or recommend the Love Does  study as your next church group experience!  Inside the Love Does study you’ll get: All 5 videos sessions with Bob Goff: 1) I’m With You; 2) Free to Fail; 3) Audacious Love; 4) Be Not Afraid; 5) Follow Me Discussion to...
Read more

Everyday Holy

-
Image
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  — Genesis 12:1-2   Sometimes when circumstances get too big or seem to be different from what I want, doubts start creeping in.  What if this isn’t the right thing? What if I heard God wrong? What if I’ve made a huge mistake? What if I’m totally screwing up my child and she ends up living in a van down by the river? I get scared. I realize this doesn’t make me different from anyone else. We all like to feel in control of every aspect of our lives, and it’s hard to surrender that control. It’s hard to say, “I trust You” — no matter what. One of the few constants in life is that things will always change. And I, like many others, hate change. It leaves me feeling unsettled, unsure, and insecure as I try to find new footing in different c...
Read more

Very Great in the Little Things

-
This God is our God. — Psalm 48:14 “God is great in great things, but very great in little things,” says Henry Dyer. A party stood on the Matterhorn admiring the sublimity of the scene, when a gentleman produced a pocket microscope and having caught a fly, placed it under the glass. He reminded us that the legs of the household fly in England are naked, then called attention to the legs of this little fly which were thickly covered with hair; thus showing that the same God who made the lofty Swiss mountain attended to the comfort of His tiniest creatures, even providing socks and mittens for the little fly whose home these mountains were. This God is our God! A doubting soul beheld a robin’s nest in a gigantic elm and heard a still small voice saying, “If God spent a hundred years in creating a tree like that for a bird, He will surely take care of you.” God is so interested that He takes us one by one and arranges for every detail of our life. To Him, there are no ...
Read more