monthly focus ~ the perfect gift

THE PERFECT GIFT

Stores post their highest sales of the season as shoppers rush from shop to shop, looking for the perfect gift.  This year, hundreds of people braved cold weather and deprived themselves of sleep to stand outside electronic stores so they could purchase the perfect gift when the doors opened.  The perfect gift is a treasure to the one receiving it.  It brings joy and thanks to both the giver and the recipient.  Christmas is the perfect time for the perfect gift.  Although the nativity gets lost amidst snowmen, Santa Claus and reindeer,  brightly lit trees, and other symbols of the holiday, the message of the nativity fully illustrates the Christmas spirit of giving.

The Bible clearly tells us in John 3:16, “. . . God so loved the World, that he gave us His one and only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  The Bible says that God’s love gift to us is eternal life.  “. . . , but the Gift of God is eternal life.” (Rom.6:23)  Eternal, perfect life…What a gift! God’s love was so great that Jesus left Heaven and all its glory to come to live among us.  He was touched by suffering and ridicule, and tempted as we are, yet He did not sin.  And because of that, when He died, God saw His death as a pure sacrifice that would cover our sins.  His resurrection assures that He has power over death and sin and the grave. 

For something to be a gift, not only is there a giver but also a grateful receiver.  God is holding the perfect gift out to everyone.  We have the obligation to reach out and receive it.
 
Think about it. 

Have you received the perfect gift? What better time to receive it than at Christmas?  Simply acknowledge that you fall short of God’s standard and ask for His forgiveness of your sins.  Believe that Jesus is God’s son and that because of His death and resurrection, He has power to cleanse you of all sin and make you stand clean before a perfect God.  Ask Jesus to save you and then tell someone about the perfect gift you received. 

If you have questions or would like to share how you have received God’s perfect gift, contact us at ebm@ebm.org  We would love to talk with you!