People all over the world are celebrating Christmas. We
Christians know that the "Christ" of "Christmas" is Jesus,
who came as a baby to a world mired in sin so that He could save us and set us
free. He is alive and working still. Hallelujah!
Until we meet Jesus we do not know our value, or
even why we are here - now we can know our very great "worth", we are
precious because of what our Father God has given us through His Son Jesus.
On the last page of the Bible Jesus invites every person to "Come!" and "take the 'free gift' of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).
In Romans the apostle Paul writes about a "free gift" from God.
What is God's "free gift"?
Since it is free, is it valuable?
Why is it free?
Why is it given?
Was this all planned?
What has God's "free gift" to do with every person? With you? With me? With our purpose, our life and our destiny?
Big questions.
When we believe in Jesus and repent of our sins, we receive forgiveness (Acts 10:43); Jesus shed His blood and died to "redeem us" (Titus 2:14), that is, He paid the price of the twin curses of "death and sin" (Romans 6:23; 8:2). Jesus atoning death sets us free. This is the essence of the gospel we Christians love and share.
"We are justified through our faith and find peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Jesus paid the price; for us it is a "free gift".
Our justification leads to our being righteous. We our-self may be soiled by sin, but Jesus' righteousness covers us, we too become righteous. We have received our salvation (Romans 5:10; 5:15-16). This sets us free; we become "free to be free" (Galatians 5:1).
On the last page of the Bible Jesus invites every person to "Come!" and "take the 'free gift' of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).
In Romans the apostle Paul writes about a "free gift" from God.
What is God's "free gift"?
Since it is free, is it valuable?
Why is it free?
Why is it given?
Was this all planned?
What has God's "free gift" to do with every person? With you? With me? With our purpose, our life and our destiny?
Big questions.
When we believe in Jesus and repent of our sins, we receive forgiveness (Acts 10:43); Jesus shed His blood and died to "redeem us" (Titus 2:14), that is, He paid the price of the twin curses of "death and sin" (Romans 6:23; 8:2). Jesus atoning death sets us free. This is the essence of the gospel we Christians love and share.
"We are justified through our faith and find peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Jesus paid the price; for us it is a "free gift".
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
Our justification leads to our being righteous. We our-self may be soiled by sin, but Jesus' righteousness covers us, we too become righteous. We have received our salvation (Romans 5:10; 5:15-16). This sets us free; we become "free to be free" (Galatians 5:1).
There is another "free
gift", the "promised gift
of the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13). Perhaps the Bible uses the same "free gift" words because our
Lord wants us to regard all His gifts to us as being one complete package, a
fullness of Him who "fills everything
in every way" (Ephesians 1:23). Holy Spirit is the "free gift" in Revelation
22:17, "the water of life".
"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, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Holy Spirit becomes our "teacher" (1 Corinthians 2:13), our "counselor" and "comforter" (John 14:26 Amplified). He is the power who raised Jesus from the dead. "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).
In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus explains that Holy Spirit would come soon after He was crucified, rose from death and ascended to Heaven. Acts tells of Holy Spirit coming and filling Jesus' people, those who would be the first Christians (Acts 2:17,19).
The "working" of Holy Spirit can be seen in Matthew's gospel, Jesus tells His twelve disciples to "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8). The promise from Jesus is in all four Gospels and the Book of Acts, and on the last page of the Bible (where its presence shows its great importance). Holy Spirit baptism is a "free gift" for every Christian.
Jesus tells us that He came so that we may have "life to the full" (John 10:10). It is my testimony that the "free gift" of God, and the "full life" Jesus offers are linked and truly are what completes us as humans. We were designed to be relational and intimately connected to the God of all Creation who gave every person life. He sustains us, and the entire Universe, by His mighty foresight and power. God's relational design is also seen in our universal desire to be close with family members and with others, we make friends, many friendships last a lifetime. This is another strong theme throughout the Bible.
"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, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Holy Spirit becomes our "teacher" (1 Corinthians 2:13), our "counselor" and "comforter" (John 14:26 Amplified). He is the power who raised Jesus from the dead. "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).
In Acts 1:4-5 Jesus explains that Holy Spirit would come soon after He was crucified, rose from death and ascended to Heaven. Acts tells of Holy Spirit coming and filling Jesus' people, those who would be the first Christians (Acts 2:17,19).
The "working" of Holy Spirit can be seen in Matthew's gospel, Jesus tells His twelve disciples to "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8). The promise from Jesus is in all four Gospels and the Book of Acts, and on the last page of the Bible (where its presence shows its great importance). Holy Spirit baptism is a "free gift" for every Christian.
Jesus tells us that He came so that we may have "life to the full" (John 10:10). It is my testimony that the "free gift" of God, and the "full life" Jesus offers are linked and truly are what completes us as humans. We were designed to be relational and intimately connected to the God of all Creation who gave every person life. He sustains us, and the entire Universe, by His mighty foresight and power. God's relational design is also seen in our universal desire to be close with family members and with others, we make friends, many friendships last a lifetime. This is another strong theme throughout the Bible.
Trouble
We live in a world with much trouble. Our own wrongdoing (what our Bible calls "sin") is part of this. We know we have hurt others, broken laws and rules of our society, however careful we are.
Often we develop strategies to avoid or minimize the pain and injury done to us, and also from our conscience. These strategies diminish both our self and our life. "But", we say, "this is better than trying to deal with my past, my pain, my sin, my troubles".
Sin has affected every person in the world since Adam and Eve.
"But you know that Jesus appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin" (1 John 3:5).
When Jesus' "hour" had come for Him to go to the Cross (John 17:1), He told His disciples that they would always face trouble, and assured them "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). He is the only one who can do this. Jesus is ready to give us a share in this overcoming. All this is beyond our natural strength; God's power comes to us through His "free gift".
The "free gift" of God is given to people one at a time. The giving is not random, but planned. The plan began before "the beginning" of the Creation (Genesis 1) and continues to this day (Revelation 22:20-21).
We live in a world with much trouble. Our own wrongdoing (what our Bible calls "sin") is part of this. We know we have hurt others, broken laws and rules of our society, however careful we are.
Often we develop strategies to avoid or minimize the pain and injury done to us, and also from our conscience. These strategies diminish both our self and our life. "But", we say, "this is better than trying to deal with my past, my pain, my sin, my troubles".
Sin has affected every person in the world since Adam and Eve.
"But you know that Jesus appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin" (1 John 3:5).
When Jesus' "hour" had come for Him to go to the Cross (John 17:1), He told His disciples that they would always face trouble, and assured them "I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). He is the only one who can do this. Jesus is ready to give us a share in this overcoming. All this is beyond our natural strength; God's power comes to us through His "free gift".
The "free gift" of God is given to people one at a time. The giving is not random, but planned. The plan began before "the beginning" of the Creation (Genesis 1) and continues to this day (Revelation 22:20-21).
My testimony, and that of hundreds of people I have heard, tells me that God's "free gift" is immensely precious as it makes us complete as a person.
In 1670, Blaise Pascal, a brilliant mathematician and physicist, said that there is a "God sized hole in the heart of every person", an emptiness which cannot be satisfied by any created thing.
By the time I met Trish, (now my wife of many years and the mother and grandmother of our big lovely family), I had learned that the world was not enough to satisfy me; I often felt "empty". Jesus came to us, Trish first and then me, and "fills our life with good things" (Psalm 103:5), and "our youth is renewed like the eagle's". I became aware that the "filling" was of something essential in me; Pascal's words rang true the minute I heard them. I thought: "So true, thank you Pascal for drawing such a clear word picture".
At the same time, the world is altogether too big. Do you remember your first airline flight? Hours go by and you are still over land and more land, or over ocean with no features, yet every minute you travel about 15 kilometres, (10 miles), half a day's walk, but just a spec on Earth's surface. No matter how we try, how we succeed, we become important to a tiny part of the world population, and most things will still be beyond our reach.
Happily, the God I have come to know and love is truly big, He fills my world and my worldview; He has my past, my present and my future securely in his hands (John 3:35).
And too, our "success" does not take us beyond trouble and strife: "mankind is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7).
Being Filled
The bible says we are "filled" by Jesus Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31; Ephesians 1:23). This "free gift" of filling brings with it spiritual gifts which empower us to live and minister as Jesus did, (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11).
Spiritual gifts enable us to help others and include:
• Words of wisdom
• Words of knowledge
• Acts of faith
• Gifts of healing
• Miraculous powers
• Gifts of prophecy, (the ability to hear God's voice)
• Speaking and interpreting of different kinds of tongues, (spiritual languages)
• Discerning of spirits, (having an understanding of spiritual activity, of which spirit is which, and which spirits are of our God of all Creation, and which are not).
Other spiritual gifts are:
• Gifts of service
• Helps, (simply being helpful)
• Generosity (in all things)
• Love, (a "doing" word, intensely personal, beyond our own strength, skills or wisdom)
• Abilities to teach, evangelise, minister and lead.
In 1670, Blaise Pascal, a brilliant mathematician and physicist, said that there is a "God sized hole in the heart of every person", an emptiness which cannot be satisfied by any created thing.
By the time I met Trish, (now my wife of many years and the mother and grandmother of our big lovely family), I had learned that the world was not enough to satisfy me; I often felt "empty". Jesus came to us, Trish first and then me, and "fills our life with good things" (Psalm 103:5), and "our youth is renewed like the eagle's". I became aware that the "filling" was of something essential in me; Pascal's words rang true the minute I heard them. I thought: "So true, thank you Pascal for drawing such a clear word picture".
At the same time, the world is altogether too big. Do you remember your first airline flight? Hours go by and you are still over land and more land, or over ocean with no features, yet every minute you travel about 15 kilometres, (10 miles), half a day's walk, but just a spec on Earth's surface. No matter how we try, how we succeed, we become important to a tiny part of the world population, and most things will still be beyond our reach.
Happily, the God I have come to know and love is truly big, He fills my world and my worldview; He has my past, my present and my future securely in his hands (John 3:35).
And too, our "success" does not take us beyond trouble and strife: "mankind is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7).
Being Filled
The bible says we are "filled" by Jesus Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31; Ephesians 1:23). This "free gift" of filling brings with it spiritual gifts which empower us to live and minister as Jesus did, (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11).
Spiritual gifts enable us to help others and include:
• Words of wisdom
• Words of knowledge
• Acts of faith
• Gifts of healing
• Miraculous powers
• Gifts of prophecy, (the ability to hear God's voice)
• Speaking and interpreting of different kinds of tongues, (spiritual languages)
• Discerning of spirits, (having an understanding of spiritual activity, of which spirit is which, and which spirits are of our God of all Creation, and which are not).
Other spiritual gifts are:
• Gifts of service
• Helps, (simply being helpful)
• Generosity (in all things)
• Love, (a "doing" word, intensely personal, beyond our own strength, skills or wisdom)
• Abilities to teach, evangelise, minister and lead.
All this is "to
equip [Jesus'] people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son
of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13).
Spiritual gifts are practical, they enable us to help others beyond our natural abilities or strength. We do not bring just words, but God manifests His wisdom and power to the world in us through Jesus by Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).
"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them" (John 7:38).
"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
So much of our life is spiritual; this can be experienced but is difficult to explain. People may say that there is no scientific evidence that anything spiritual exists, it cannot be weighed on a scale, or measured for length and breadth, or classified for texture or colour. This is true. But neither can love, or fear, greed or compassion, pride or arrogance, these are all intangible (not having physical presence). What motivates us? Encourages us? What produces loyalty or trust in us? (The "scientific method" expressly excludes the possibility of anything spiritual existing yet, worldwide, most people know that it is real. I do not know the "scientific" position regarding love, desire, joy or grief).
Testimony
I have come to love Christian testimony. When our children were still at school our local church would travel 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) inland into the desert to mind the children in an Australian Aboriginal Community while the grown-ups had their annual Christian convention. People would come from all over South, Central, North and West Australia to share this time together. A great many people gave testimony of the good things Jesus had been doing in their lives over the past year; this was a feature of the weekend. God's people would share His glory with one another, testifying of His presence in the world, and of tangible blessings received.
In Perth city an oil company executive was asked by Jesus to establish a mid-week prayer meeting for city workers; the focus would be singing praises to our God, sharing testimony of Jesus' work in our day, and prayer. Wesley Church is in the centre of our CBD; the man asked: "Could the meetings be held there?" The answer: "Yes". Years later we still meet, sing and praise our Lord Jesus, hear testimony of Him coming to people and changing lives. And we pray, including prayer for the people who work in the city and those who have influence throughout the city, our state and the nation. We've rejoiced in years of testimonies of the (intangible and "non-scientific") wondrous works of our Jesus in people's lives, people from a hundred countries around the world. Glorious. Our God reigns (Revelation 19:6).
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
"He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:53).
Thank you Jesus, for myself who was lost, and for the many who know you, and have been blessed and saved and filled by your grace. Thank you for your love and your "free gift".
Amen.
Permalink: https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2024/12/free-gift.html
Spiritual gifts are practical, they enable us to help others beyond our natural abilities or strength. We do not bring just words, but God manifests His wisdom and power to the world in us through Jesus by Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).
"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them" (John 7:38).
"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
So much of our life is spiritual; this can be experienced but is difficult to explain. People may say that there is no scientific evidence that anything spiritual exists, it cannot be weighed on a scale, or measured for length and breadth, or classified for texture or colour. This is true. But neither can love, or fear, greed or compassion, pride or arrogance, these are all intangible (not having physical presence). What motivates us? Encourages us? What produces loyalty or trust in us? (The "scientific method" expressly excludes the possibility of anything spiritual existing yet, worldwide, most people know that it is real. I do not know the "scientific" position regarding love, desire, joy or grief).
Testimony
I have come to love Christian testimony. When our children were still at school our local church would travel 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) inland into the desert to mind the children in an Australian Aboriginal Community while the grown-ups had their annual Christian convention. People would come from all over South, Central, North and West Australia to share this time together. A great many people gave testimony of the good things Jesus had been doing in their lives over the past year; this was a feature of the weekend. God's people would share His glory with one another, testifying of His presence in the world, and of tangible blessings received.
In Perth city an oil company executive was asked by Jesus to establish a mid-week prayer meeting for city workers; the focus would be singing praises to our God, sharing testimony of Jesus' work in our day, and prayer. Wesley Church is in the centre of our CBD; the man asked: "Could the meetings be held there?" The answer: "Yes". Years later we still meet, sing and praise our Lord Jesus, hear testimony of Him coming to people and changing lives. And we pray, including prayer for the people who work in the city and those who have influence throughout the city, our state and the nation. We've rejoiced in years of testimonies of the (intangible and "non-scientific") wondrous works of our Jesus in people's lives, people from a hundred countries around the world. Glorious. Our God reigns (Revelation 19:6).
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
"He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:53).
Thank you Jesus, for myself who was lost, and for the many who know you, and have been blessed and saved and filled by your grace. Thank you for your love and your "free gift".
Amen.
Permalink: https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2024/12/free-gift.html
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