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God’s Great Gift Isn’t Traditionally Wrapped
BY RICK WARREN
“Out of sheer generosity God
put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess
we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by
means of Jesus Christ. He sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear
that world of sin” (Romans 3:24-25 The Message).
The greatest gift ever given wasn’t
bought in a store.
No cash exchanged hands. It wasn’t
even traditionally wrapped—instead, this gift was wrapped in swaddling clothes
and placed in a manger.
Yet it cost the Giver everything.
The Bible says God sent his Son to
Earth as the greatest gift ever.
He came to die and make you right
with God.
Romans 3:24-25
says, “Out of sheer generosity God
put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess
we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by
means of Jesus Christ. He sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that
world of sin” (The Message).
So why did Jesus have to die? Let’s
go back to the basics.
· Nobody’s perfect. I’ve never met a single person who is perfect, and neither
have you.
I don’t measure up to my own
expectations, much less God’s perfect standard — and neither do you. We’ve all
blown it.
The Bible says, “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23 CEV).
· God is just. God wants to be fair. When somebody breaks a law, there
must be a penalty for it.
When you break man’s laws, you pay
man’s penalty.
When you break God’s laws, you pay
God’s penalties. The Bible says, “The payment for sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NCV).
· Jesus paid the price for our
sin. The Bible says, “God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in
exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us” (2 Corinthians 5:21
TLB).
Jesus took on my sin and your sin and
all the sin that has ever been committed. That’s the Good News, the Gospel.
Jesus paid the price you could never pay.
· Accept God’s free gift. God offers us the free gift of salvation because Jesus
took upon himself our sin — but it’s a gift we must choose to receive.
The Bible says, “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 NIV).
If you haven’t accepted God’s free
gift of salvation, I pray you will make that decision today.
It’s one thing to understand the
basics of how to have a relationship with Jesus. It’s another to accept the
gift.
And if you’ve already made that
decision, I pray you share the Good News of Jesus with someone who needs to
hear it.
Have you trusted Jesus for your
salvation?
The Bible says we can only get to
heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ.
And we don’t have to earn God’s love
or work our way into heaven.
The Bible
says, “It is by grace you have been
saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not
by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9
NIV).
If you haven’t trusted in Jesus and
committed to following him, why wait any longer?
If you’re ready to step across that
line and make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ and follow him, pray this
prayer:
“Dear Jesus, you
have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be
forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your
eternal home in heaven one day.
“I confess my sin,
and I believe that you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my
sin and trust you, I will be saved. I trust you when you say that salvation
comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my
life as my Lord. Today I’m turning over every part of my life to your
management. You have the right to call the shots in my life.
“Jesus, I want to relax
in your love. Thank you that I don’t have to earn it or work for it. I want to
use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I humbly commit
my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In your
name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus,
please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free
materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
Talk It Over
· Outside of your
salvation, what’s the most memorable gift you’ve ever received?
· Why is it hard to
accept a free, extravagant gift?
· What person can you
tell this week about God’s free gift of salvation?
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global
influencer. The various ministries Pastor Rick has created are a multi-faceted
expression of his heart to bring the whole Gospel to the whole world.
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