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When we think of our loving heavenly Father’s gift we often think of John 3:16 and how the Father gave the Son to pay the price for our sins. He gave the best that heaven had - His dearly loved and prized Son - in order to bring redemption to the human race and the universe. He did not have to do it, but He chose to do it.
However, there is another gift that He gave. Before we get to that we need to realize that God is the Good Father.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17, NIV
God is good. While most of us believe this in theory, it is often a hard concept to think of in practicality. The difficulty we have probably relates to both our life experiences and the depth of relationship we have with the Father. We see “bad” things happening to ourselves or others and it challenges our belief in the goodness of God. This is where faith and trust come in even when we are allowed to go through difficult situations.
But whether we have a difficult or easy time accepting it, the teaching of Scripture is that God is Love, He only does or allows things to happen to His children that are for their ultimate good and He only gives good gifts. I wanted to make this clear before I talk about the other gift that God has given.
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:14, NASB
Do you see it? That’s right. You are a gift from the Father to the Son. Jesus came to earth as part of the Master Plan formed in the Eternal Covenant made within the God-head before the creation of the world [we study this in The Love Covenants]. Part of that plan was the Father promised to give you to the Son as a reward for purchasing salvation.
For he himself endured a cross and thought nothing of its shame because of the joy he knew would follow his suffering; and he is now seated at the right hand of God’s throne. Heb. 12:2, Phillips
Jesus, as a Human being, endured all the suffering and pain because He knew the joy that was going to be His at the end…You are part of that joy that kept Him going. You are a good gift from the Father to the Son.
Let that sink into your heart and mind, especially if you struggle with self-doubts and a negative self-image. You are a good gift. The Father does not make mistakes and He does not give bad gifts. You are precious both in the eyes of the Father Who gives you and in the eyes of the Son Who receives you. You are a treasure worth the entire world! The Father valued you enough that He was willing to sacrifice His dearly loved Son for you. The Son valued You enough that He was willing to undergo the unfathomable sacrifices that He made to win you.
This applies in two ways:
First, it applies to you an an individual. You have a personal and private love relationship with Jesus. The Father loved you personally and chose you as an individual to give as a good and perfect gift to His treasured Son. The Son believed that you, personally, were a gift worth any sacrifice necessary to receive. May our hearts always overflow with thanksgiving and praise.
Second, this also applies to the church as a whole. The church, the Bride of Christ, was the good gift the Father gave the Son. As a man in love, Jesus treasures His bride. He looks forward to the marriage day when he returns, all is completed and there is no longer any separation.
What this means is that not only are you a good gift to the Son, but also all your Christian brothers and sisters are a good gift from the Father to Son as well. Somethings we feel like the man who said, “I love the Church, it’s Christians I can’t stand!” The fact of the matter is that the Church, the Bride, is made up of the Christians of all time - including the person who sits beside you in a service and irritates you.
How can they be a good gift? We are all in a process. None of this is based on who we are or what we have done, but on the goodness and mercy of our Father. Remember, Esther? She went through a year of beauty treatments and preparations before meeting the king. Even so, the Holy Spirit is taking us all through a lifetime of beauty treatments and preparations before we meet face-to-face with our King and new Husband.
We are all in the process and we need to love and respect each other along the way for we, the children of God, are all good gifts from the Father to the Son. And if you have never accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, you can do so easily by believing He died on the cross for your sins and rose again to give you new life. Ask Him to forgive your sins and be your Saviour and Lord. Then you, too, will be a good gift from the Father to the Son.
For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.
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