Receive the Gift!

 I was tidying around my house this week and took notice of a single Christmas gift in the corner of my dining room. It's the middle of January. The tree has been taken down, the decorations are packed away in the attic, and Christmas '25 is now a memory. But seeing this gift hanging around--a gift still waiting for its recipient--made me think about another gift that is often left unclaimed. 

Oxford Dictionary defines a gift as "a thing given willingly to someone without payment". 

A gift is not paid for or earned by the one to whom it's being given. The intended recipient does not have to meet certain requirements ahead of receiving the gift nor must they give anything in exchange.

However, a response is necessary. The person giving the gift can purchase it, wrap it, and offer it to someone, but if it's not accepted and taken hold of by that someone, then the gift is not in their possession. It was intended for them, but it wasn't received. 

At Christmas, we celebrated the birth of our Messiah. He is the gift of salvation offered to us by God. The gift has been purchased, paid in full. We didn't earn it. It's a gift given to us by our Father who loves us and wants us to have eternal life with Him. Sadly though, many will not accept it. It's mid-January and much like that one unwrapped present that is hanging around my house, collecting dust and getting pushed out of the way from one room to another, the gift of Jesus is already forgotten and left behind by so many who did not claim it. It's there for the taking, but it's not taken. 

And remember the definition of a gift? Well, here's the sweetest part of that definition to me: the giver does so willingly. To do something willingly means there is a spirit of love and charity behind the act. God gives us the gift of His Son in place of our sins as an act of His love for us. He loves us dearly. He gives willingly. 

Imagine offering a gift to someone dear to you-- a gift in which you put much love and consideration for that person, their heart, and their needs. Now imagine holding it out to them, all wrapped and ready to open, but instead of taking it in their hands, they leave it in yours, turn around, and walk away. Or maybe they even comment on what a nice gift it is, but later leave it behind never to return. It might be a wonderful, life-changing gift they would have loved having. It might have even been one which would have made their life immeasurably better! But if it's left behind, they'll never know the joys of having it in their possession.

Hey friends, we wouldn't want to leave an unclaimed gift under the Christmas tree; let us NOT leave the gift of our salvation at the foot of the cross. Receive the gift! 

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (CSB)