Young or old, we have all gazed at colorful packages under the Christmas tree, anticipating what might be in them. Children shake them and squeeze them, wishing they had x-ray vision, wondering what Mother and Father have bought them. It is so hard to wait.
But the greatest gift of all time is God's loving gift of salvation, given to all who will personally receive it. Once a person hears the gospel, he or she may receive the gift. We need not wait until death to know for sure whether we have it. Waiting, in fact, is dangerous and foolish.
In Romans 6:23, the Bible tells us, "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." This wonderful gift was in God's heart and mind before the creation of the world, but came to reality at the incarnation.
When Jesus was born that first Christmas, He took on the form of a human body. He grew to manhood, preached and ministered until His crucifixion when He hung on the cross and sacrificed His life. By so doing He purchased with His blood the gift of forgiveness for all our sin. That gift guarantees us the gift of eternal life in heaven with the risen Savior for all eternity.
I may look with wonder at gifts under my Christmas tree. But there is no wondering about God's gift of eternal life since it was offered to me by God's grace and I received it through faith. All who have trusted Christ can reminisce back to when they opened the gift, and also look forward in great anticipation to the day they will enjoy the full reality of the gift in heaven.
If you are still wondering about your own soul, do not wait any longer. Open your heart in repentant faith today and receive the gift of God, in Christ, "purchased with His own blood" for you (Acts 20:28). -Paul J. Twist
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