Gift wrapping
paper that was once beautifully colored with reds, greens and imprints of the
Christmas season has now become a ball of worthless trash. What was once the desire of those trying to
figure out what is inside the nicely wrapped box has now become a distant
memory. The package that was once the
lure of the eye due to its beauty of glitzy wrapping paper topped with an
elegant bow has now become useless and will be thrown away and never again be
eyed with a desire to know what’s inside.
According to research from Hallmark, Americans spend
approximately $3.2 billion a year on wrapping paper. The hours spent selecting wrapping paper
for the ones we love is no easy task.
Not just any wrapping paper will do; it is carefully examined and
thought out before the selection is made.
Presentation is everything. Some
cannot give a gift unless it is wrapped perfectly. The wrapping paper must make a statement that
conveys that the gift is worth opening and seeing what is inside.
On December 25th
billions of people all over the world opened beautifully wrapped gifts that
were placed under a Christmas tree. Each
gift was wrapped with love from the giver.
No amount of time or money spent on the wrapped gift compares to the joy
the giver experiences when the one who receives the gift opens it up and is
full of excitement.
God is no
stranger to gift-wrapping. His wrapping
of gifts may not be with beautiful and glitzy colored paper or bows nicely
wrapped around the gift; however, his gifts offer eternal blessings to anyone
who desires to open his or her heart to receiving them.
Can you imagine
the look on God’s face whenever one of his kids takes one of his gifts, opens
it up and is full of excitement that they begin to call everyone up to tell
about the gift? Of course, the gifts
God’s gives aren’t made on a production line and cannot be bought at the local
department stores. However, the gifts
are available to take not only on December 25th but any hour of the
day, everyday, of every week and of every year throughout our lifetime.
Throughout the
Bible, God talks about life changing gifts that will give eternal
blessings. There is the gift of
grace. Grace means that I do not earn
anything from God, he already did it for me through another gift…His son,
Jesus. Ephesians 2:8 tell us “God saved you by his grace when you
believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” The gift of grace was also demonstrated by God according to
Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us
while we were still sinners.”
How we respond to the gifts from God
is critical. The key is showing love and
dedication to the giver of the gifts and a willingness to open the gifts out of
gratitude for the eternal blessings from God.
When we respond with a desire to surrender to the gift giver by
declaring His Lordship in our lives and a commitment to living in grace and being
a demonstrator of right living, then our entire life changes and eternal
blessings are given.
The question is,
who is willing to unwrap the gifts so that the eternal blessings can be
experienced? Personally, I would love
to chat with you more about all the gifts God has wrapped up for us to enjoy and
experience! You can call/text me at
931-545-7543, email me at thegreatestcommandislove@gmail.com
or call my office at 256-446-5574. One call, text or email can eternal change
your life! Are you ready and willing to
take the gifts God’s gives freely?
Remember, Be God
Controlled!
Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment