“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.” John 3:16 (Amplified)
There is something about giving that truly expresses and communicates our innermost thoughts and deepest feelings. A bunch of flowers, a get well card, a lovely birthday present, the gift of our time and attention as well as sharing of affections, to name but a few, are merely physical expressions of what is going on deep inside our hearts and are means of communicating the goodwill we feel towards the recipient. Our gifts are therefore tangible ways of complementing and completing our verbal expressions. So, when words are not enough and something extra is needed, we give gifts.
God, our loving Father is intrinsically a benevolent God. According to His word in Jam 1:17, His specialty is in giving good gifts to those He loves because He delights in the prosperity of His people. Nevertheless, His greatest gift of all time to mankind is the gift of His Son Jesus Christ as propitiation for our sin. Our receipt of this gift – God’s expression of His everlasting love will enable us to regain His favour and allow Him to draw us back into fellowship with Himself.
The fact that God gave the most precious and most heart-wrenching of what He had is proof that He gave sacrificially and also shows the kind of value He ascribes to the people of the world. It shows that whoever and whatever you are, you are important to God and that He holds you in high regard enough to send His Son to die for your sin. As far as God is concerned, you are more than a number. Irrespective of who you are or what do or own, you are still a VIP worthy of paying the highest price possible to redeem. God has invested all of Himself in us in order to spare us a gory eternal end.
Nevertheless, it takes two to tango, as a gift, however exquisite, means nothing unless it is acknowledged and gratefully received. As defined in 1 Cor 13:5, genuine love is never self-seeking. Consequently, God did not express His love to us just because He wanted to achieve His end of owning or getting His way with us. His motivation was and still is to save us from the gory end that Satan has in store for us. This is the reason why He cannot coerce us into having a relationship with Him. It has to be a free-will offering on our part. His free gift to mankind is eternal life through Christ Jesus Rom 6:23. So, by rejecting this gift, we are also rejecting the eternal life that is only available through Jesus Christ. We are deliberately choosing death over the life He is offering and stand condemned by reason of our refusing to acknowledge and accept His gift of life to us. God’s heart is quite evident. He wants us to accept His gift for our own sake so that we can then live forever. If you are yet to receive God’s expression of love, this is as good a time as any to do so. You will definitely make God’s day and also receive eternal life to the bargain. Receive His love today.
Prayer:
Lord, your words and actions daily prove the intensity of your love for me. May I prove worthy of that love as I receive and allow it to permeate my life and all that I do in Jesus name. Amen.