His Out-of-This-World Gifts!

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? —Romans 8:32

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. -1 John 2: 15-17

This beautiful verse from Romans serves to remind us that if God was selfless enough to give His only Son, His Son (He not with Him) also is that selfless and giving... as was rightly proven through Jesus' life and death. It's like the Heifer project... where you buy a cow for a family and the family gives that cow's calf to another family... and so on and so forth. God gave His Son, His Son gave eternal life through His death, His death gave eternal life... and His message of hope is passed from heart to heart... and so on and so forth. I'm not much of a mathematician, but I would say it grows exponentially.

The gifts He gives aren't of this world. Pride is often mentioned in the Bible, and again I think it's important to remember the context- an extremely hierarchical society- where you were defined by your status (your job, your family name, your money). But, have things changed that much? Aren't we surrounded with labels such as brand names, level of education, occupation, neighborhood/home, etc. God reminds us that it's not about "the things of this world." Instead, we need to thank God for th heavenly gifts He showers upon us. Father, we thank You for Your out-of-this-world gifts this season!