Luke 1:68-70 ( NIV): “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago). . .
We have been given a Gift – a Living Gift – a Gift to satisfy the longing of our souls – a Gift deeper than any ocean, wider than any sky, more encompassing than the expanse of the known universe.
This is a Gift that says to you “You’re good. I’ll take you right where you are. I’ll love you just like you are. I’ll rejoice in you because I created you. I will make you Mine, and I will provide for you and take care of you.”
What are the strings attached to this Gift? None. This is a Gift freely given to us as a sacrifice of the heart. A Divine present, a Gift of supernatural power, a light shining in our darkness. All we have to do is receive. All we have to do is say yes to the Risen Savior Jesus Christ. We say, “I believe.”
For you see God sent His first begotten Son to be born as a man, to show us the love of a Perfect Father, to suffer the anguish of death on a cross, to plummet into the depths of hell, to become the resurrected victor of every chain of bondage in our lives. Then God’s heart spoke to us, “Receive what My Son Jesus has done for you, and you too will be My children, My sons and daughters, heirs to My covenant purchased with the Blood of My Spotless Lamb Child. You will become victors over every chain of darkness, just like Him. You will have the veil removed so that you can see clearly how to walk in the Light of Life, the light of My love.”
What are the strings attached to this Gift? None. We simply believe in what God has done. We simply say, “Yes, I believe that Jesus is Your Son, God, and I receive Him as my Savior, the One Who died for me, to give me a Life of eternity with my Father of Love.”
What do we receive when we receive Jesus as our Savior? We receive the Gift of the eternal presence of God, the Creator of the universe, in our lives forever and ever. We receive the Gift of eternal peace, and joy, and the unconditional love of the holy, righteous, just, forgiving, loving Father. We receive the opportunity to be redeemed from every one of our mistakes and missteps because the arms of a good and kind and loving Father are there to accept us when we run to Him. We receive the promise, “Greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4),” an assurance that the God of all creation is with you, facing every battle with you. He is forgiving and good. His compassions fail not. His mercies are new every morning. He is slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:5, 15; Lam. 3:22-24). Run to Him, and seek His way instead of your own, and you will find a redemption for your souls that washes you clean, satisfies your every longing, and gives you joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Pastor Lisa Marie Tihen
© 2019