God's Greatest Gift

John 1:16 Amplified -For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.

For the last several weeks here at RMCM, we have been talking about “God’s Greatest Gift.” There can be no doubt that God’s greatest gift to every one of us is His son–the Lord Jesus Christ. There are countless reasons to give gifts. We use presents to let people know we are thinking of them, and to mark birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Sometimes we give gifts because it is expected or traditional, but the best gifts are the ones that carry a genuine message of love and appreciation from the giver to the recipient.

Have you ever received a gift that you knew in your heart was given with less than pure motives? Gifts can be given to bribe, manipulate, or coerce the recipient to conform to the will of the giver. Some gifts are actually given in an attempt to make the recipient feel guilty, or to showcase the “generosity” of the giver. But God has no such motives for any of His gifts to us. As the verse above states, God gives out of His own abundance. The term fullness, or abundance, in John 1:16 refers not only to God’s abundant supply of goods to give, but, more importantly, to the immeasurable abundance of His love for mankind.

God gives, not because mankind deserves the gift, and not because God needs anything in return, but simply because He values each and every individual so very much. The very fact that we can never deserve the gifts of God, highlights the love behind the gifts in an even more unique and undeniable way. Really good gifts, like the ones our Heavenly Father continues to pour out day after day, always communicate love, appreciation, and acceptance.

One of the greatest gifts I ever received from my earthly father was a 16-gauge Parker shotgun that my Dad gave me when I was 16 years old. You have to understand, during most of my growing-up years my Dad was a surgeon in a small farming community in eastern North Dakota. He stayed extremely busy with his practice, and outside of his work he chose to live a very simple, rural lifestyle. Anytime that he wasn’t working, he could be found out in our big garden, sighting in a rifle, or in the basement reloading ammunition. My dad collected fine firearms, and Parkers were his passion.

Many of the very best times I ever had with him were spent in a duck blind, or in conversationless appreciation of a sunset on the northern prairies. My dad took great care of his guns, and he taught all of us kids to do the same. We knew all about gun safety by the time we were 8 years old, and we each developed an appreciation for the outdoors and for the guns themselves. Carrying the Parker was a privilege that was reserved for the special times–days when it was just my dad and I going out to hunt or shoot targets. I was never allowed to take it out by myself, or when I went with my friends. It was too precious, too valuable, not just in financial terms, but in terms of aesthetics. Those guns held a special place in the hearts of my brothers and I, not just because they were finely engineered masterpieces, but more so because so much of our dad was wrapped up in them.

So, when at 16 my Dad told me that my favorite, the 16-gauge, would one day be mine, it was a moment that I will never forget. I understood that much more than an object was being passed along to me. My father was giving me one of his most treasured possessions. He was entrusting me with something of great value to himself, and something that he had invested much of himself in. That gift reaffirmed my father’s love to me in a way that few things could.

Now, to compare a shotgun (even a Parker shotgun) with the gift of salvation may be a long stretch for some of you. But I hope you can see what I am getting at. Sometimes we forget the unfathomable cost, and therefore the immeasurable value, of our salvation. That is a shame, because the value of the gift given, communicates the value that the giver places on the recipient. That immeasurable value that God places on His Son, is the same value that He places on you and I. And that my friends, is a life-changing thought.

So as we go through the Christmas season, and as we plan for the new year ahead, let’s pause for just a moment to think about God’s Greatest Gift and what it means. Let the love and acceptance that God expressed so completely by giving us His Son, lift you into a new place of confidence in Him. Accept from God the gift of acceptance. In doing so you will find that sin loses all appeal, life has ultimate meaning, and the people around you have ultimate worth.

Karen and I pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas Season, and that the New Year will bring more and more of His joy and prosperity into your life.

John and Karen Clement