By Pastor Andrew Farland
If you’re like many other people, you like receiving gifts.
Getting a present is fun!
The anticipation of finding out what’s under the wrapping paper is just the beginning. We can’t wait to see what’s inside. There is such pleasure in knowing that someone took the time to find just the right gift.
God has picked out a special gift for us, too. In fact, He’s given us three everlasting gifts. In Ephesians Chapter 1, verses 7 and 8, we learn that:
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
God has blessed us and made us His own. He purposefully chose us to be in Him. God picked us out before the foundations of the world existed, and He used Jesus Christ to adopt us.
Why would God do these things? He wanted to show His grace as he developed a relationship with us. And He has given us three incredible gifts:
Forgiveness
Redemption
Understanding
Forgiveness wipes away all offenses from memory and stops resentment. God says, “I know all that you’ve done, even the bad things in secret and out of bad motive, but I’m willing to let those deeds be bygones. They never happened.”
Our first gift from God, the gift of forgiveness, is really the gift of forgetting. Many of us can start the process of forgiveness, but no human can forget. We remember not just actions, but also words for a long time. We can’t take back our hurtful words. Only God can take away the sting and the hurt when we’ve been wronged.
Redemption, which is the release of bondage through a payment, is the second gift. Imagine a sheep at the bottom of a well. A shepherd comes along and pays to have the sheep released from its confinement so it can join the other sheep. This sheep has been redeemed.
We are all stuck in bondage – physical, financial, or relational ties that hold us back. We are especially bound to material things like alcohol, drugs, co-dependency, the Internet, and smartphones. They become an addiction that hamstrings us and prevents us from moving.
God gives us redemption and removes our bondage. We are redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ.
The most important gift from God is understanding. God makes known the mystery of His will according to his purpose, which is set forth in Christ.
So often we wonder what purpose God has for us. These three gifts help us know and understand God’s will. If, however, we don’t take time to read our Bibles, we remain ignorant, and the gifts God has for us sit there, wrapped and ready, but unopened. They are waiting for us to claim them.
The gifts are yours for the asking. To receive them, you must:
Hear the good news – read and listen to the Word of God
Believe the Gospel – accept it as the truth
Receive God’s seal – allow Him to claim you for his own.
Most importantly, radically start to believe what the Bible tells you.
Remember these three gifts.
You never have to walk around with guilt and shame. You have been fully forgiven and freed from bondage. You never have to wonder what God’s plan for you is.
God’s plan is for you to grow strong in His word with these three gifts.
Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
Be encouraged today because God is with you.
