“But God demonstrates His love toward
us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
It is a shame that familiarity has lessened the impact of
what this verse says…While it is not often thought of as a Christmas verse - it
captures Christmas and contains the bulk of what you need to know about your
salvation.
Your Christmas gift is a receipt, stamped “Paid in Full”
by God Himself. Offered only because He loves you…. You did nothing to earn
it in fact you actively pushed it away.
If you ever wanted proof that you are loved?.... Christmas
is it.
The cost of sin is death…by definition, it separates us
from a perfect, holy God. That is the price tag and there is no other possibility. If you have sinned (and you have) you are
under that sentence.
BUT God … did something that demonstrated His love. He
didn’t want to lose you …so He paid your debt. You were not pardoned…the debt was not
forgiven…He did not decide to ignore it…. He paid it.
Don’t miss that…HE paid the price for YOUR sin. This
didn’t happen because you cleaned up your act… you were still sinning when He
set up the plan. It happened because He loves you…not because of your deeds -
but in spite of them.
What a gift…what grace and mercy was delivered to the
world on that first Christmas. It is undoubtably
the most important day in history. The pivot point for all humanity. The day
God launched the rescue mission to restore us to Himself.
The cost of that plan shows how much He cares - paying
for our crimes as we were still committing them - and offering us the benefit
at the price of His Son.
The gift is yours for the taking. Admit you need it, hate
the depravity that made it necessary - and receive the Holy Spirit to empower
you to resist sin.
You are being offered the key to freedom at no cost to
you…and it cost Him the ultimate sacrifice…. That is love…and that is the only
Christmas present that matters…because it is the only gift that will change
your life.
“Grace
means undeserved kindness. It is the gift of God to man the moment he sees he
is unworthy of God's favor.” - Dwight L. Moody
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