The Gift That Jesus Gives
Are we excited, grateful and joyful, like the lame man who was healed?
Verse of the Day
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Today’s Devotional
Peter and John healed a lame man in the name of Jesus. This man had been lame since birth and had spent his life begging. The people who saw that man after he was healed were amazed. The church leaders were disturbed. They didn’t want any competition for religious authority. I would guess that they also didn’t want to admit that they had crucified an innocent man, a man whose name still had the power to heal a crippled beggar.
When questioned, after a night in jail, Peter proclaimed that the lame man was healed in the name of Jesus. He said there is no other path to healing, salvation and reconciliation with God than through belief in Jesus. This was not a popular opinion for many of the leaders of that time. Funny, it’s not very socially acceptable today either. It doesn’t sit well with some people that Jesus is the only path to heaven.
But the Scripture says that Jesus was given to all mankind. Not just the Israelites. Not just Americans. Mankind is a term that includes all humans who have ever (or will ever) live.
Have you ever given a gift to someone that they were not excited to receive? Maybe it was something they did not ask for. Maybe it was something you knew they needed but they preferred something else. Maybe you chose a practical gift, but they wanted something fun. No matter the reason, it’s pretty easy to tell when someone does not like or appreciate a gift.
Webster’s defines a gift as: “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation”. Salvation through the name of Jesus is a gift freely given to all. No one had to pay for our salvation except for Jesus. It was voluntarily given, with no required compensation from me.
The religious leaders of the New Testament era were not delighted in the gift of Jesus. He was messy, and cared way more about people than their “rules”.
Each one of us has a choice of how we receive the gift that Jesus gives. Are we excited, grateful and joyful, like the lame man who was healed? Or are we slightly embarrassed, like we have just opened a package containing something we really didn’t want? Do you share the gift of Jesus with others, knowing that how they receive Jesus is between them and God?
Many of us have traditions at Christmas that involve giving gifts to our loved ones. God does the same thing for us each and every day. But it is harder to recognize the beauty of this gift because, well, we can’t see it. It isn’t wrapped up with pretty wrapping paper and a bow. It isn’t obvious. It is, however, just as real. Accepting this gift from God takes faith. It requires us to believe that God really does love us that much.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
If Jesus is the only way to receive salvation, how can you embrace His message today?
How can you display your belief in Jesus, who calls us to love God with our whole heart and to love others like we love ourselves?
Are you a good recipient of the gift of Jesus?
How can you live today that shows others the gift Jesus has given you?