A precious gift

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Because it was small, Jimmy had saved this present for last. Inside the little box was a single gold coin. His father explained that the coin was valuable and could be used to buy something expensive. But being a little boy, Jimmy was more fascinated by how shiny the gold was. He played with it for a few days until he eventually lost it.

We have many precious things in our lives, yet how often we lose them through carelessness. This is how marriages fall apart; a man mistreats the woman he used to love passionately, and she leaves him. This can happen to our relationship with God as well. Christ gives us a wonderful treasure—He suffered and died so that we can be forgiven our sins. Yet people take this gift for granted; they revel in sin so much that eventually faith dies, and the gift of salvation is lost. God is traded away for something that looks shinier—a lifestyle of big spending or being the center of attention. Or maybe God’s salvation loses its luster during a time of great difficulty. But you don’t play with gold coins, and you don’t play with God’s mercy offered through Christ.

A true gift is given without expectation of being repaid. Salvation is God’s free gift offered to us in Christ. We did not earn it; we do not deserve it; we cannot pay God back for what it’s worth. In Christ, our guilt for causing hurt is taken away. In Christ, we find the courage to forgive others and repair damaged relationships. In Christ we have hope for life beyond the grave, life in paradise among God’s blessed people.

This gift came wrapped in a very ordinary-looking package. God’s Son was born in a stable; a feeding trough was His first bed. Jesus was the first son of a lower-middle class family, and there was nothing outwardly remarkable about Him. Yet hidden behind that ordinary appearance, God’s holy Son walked the earth. He came to shine us up—clear away all the scratches and grime and corrosion caused by sin so that we can reflect God’s wonderful light into the lives of everyone we meet.

Jesus is the greatest gift ever given. Treasure it always, because this is one gift you can’t afford to lose.