The Verse: That He Gave

John 3:16

For 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.

As a kid, attending church on Easter and Christmas was a priority in my family. My parents ensured we understood that opening gifts from "Santa" and "The Easter Bunny" was not the main reason for Christmas and Easter. They had us in church on Christmas and Easter because it was important to them, and they wanted my sister and me to grow up in the church.

I will be honest with you and say that, as a kid, going to church on Christmas and Easter was challenging at times. I did not want to leave my new gifts and toys. I thought, "I just opened my gifts, and now I must leave them? Can't we skip church this week?"

It was not until I was older and more mature that I understood that all the gifts I received on Christmas and Easter were purchased by my parents after months of hard work and saving money. They sacrificed so I could have gifts when I woke up on Christmas and Easter mornings.

Now, I can see my parents' hard work to pay for my gifts. But their hard work pales compared to the gift God gave us.

Two thousand years ago, God gave us a gift that no one can afford. No one in the future will be able to repay God for this gift He gave us. Ephesians 2:9 tells us that this gift was "not by works, so that no one can boast.

We try to work to earn this gift that God gave us. We should respond with joy and thankfulness. Instead, we ask, "What can I do to repay you, God? Can I work, and that be enough?" But we cannot earn this gift, and we cannot brag about it. If we could earn it, we would naturally brag about receiving a gift God gave us.

You have a gift of God by grace alone. You can do nothing to earn it, but you can receive it. God wants you to receive it. He made a way for you to accept His gift. That gift was His Son.

Next week, we will talk more about who God's Son is.

Sources: NIV Application Bible, Bible Ref