Saturday, December 4, 2010

THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL

“I bring to you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. “Taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, humbled Himself and became obedient to the Point of death, even the death of the cross”.

Merry Christmas! Christmas is my favorite time of year because it is this time that I am reminded of the greatest gift of all, that even though I didn’t deserve it God gave his son Jesus as atonement for my sins. Yes Christmas is about Jesus, God sent His perfect and Holy son to dwell amongst us to be the perfect sacrifice that once and for all takes away the sins of all those who follow Him. There has been a verse out of the book of Romans that I have meditated on all week. “Now we know what the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the Deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin”. This is talking about every man and women walking the face of the earth, we are all under God’s laws. Who among you doesn’t know that lying, stealing, murder, and adultery are wrong. God has written His laws on the hearts of everyone, He gave you a conscience. Con means with and Science means knowledge, so every time you Sin, every time you break one of God’s laws you do it (With Knowledge) that it is wrong.

Let’s go through just a few of God’s Ten Commandments, the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. While we do I want you to remember this, God is Spirit He knows your every thought. “You shall not murder”. Have you murdered anyone? The Bible says: “Whoever hates his brother is a murder”. Have you hated anyone? “You shall not commit adultery”. Have you committed adultery? Jesus said: “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. Have you ever looked at another person with lust? “You shall not steal”. Have you ever taken anything, anything at all that didn’t belong to you? “You shall not bear false witness”. Have you ever told a lie? If you have broken these commandments you’re not alone, I have broken all of them myself. This is just four of God’s commandments with six more to go. How do you think you would fare with the other six, if you are like me not good, I’m guilty of those as well? But even if you are guilty of breaking one of these commandments one time you’re as guilty as if you had broken them all. God in His Holiness demands perfection in thought, word, and deed; and we all fall gravely short. “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”. The bible says God is a good and just Judge and He will judge us according to our works. If He judges you according to your works will you be found innocent or guilty, Heaven or Hell? If you said Heaven let me ask you how a good and just judge could let crimes go unpunished, if He did that, He would be nether good or just, He would be merciful yes but not just, Justice demands that the guilty be punished.

God did something so that you could escape judgment and punishment, that’s right escape. The Christmas Gift! God sent His Son Jesus to suffer a sinner’s death on the cross for your sins and mine and all you and I have to do to receive this gift is follow Jesus. The bible tells us that God did this for His righteousness, so that He could be both just and merciful to all who believe. I implore you, turn from your sins today, confess your sins to God and put your trust in the saving Grace of Jesus Christ! If you will do that God will give you His spirit as a deposit for your salvation and will give you a new heart, His heart.


God Bless I hope you will trust in Jesus today,
Mike Peek

(Bible verses quoted NKJV: Luke 2:10-11, Philippians 2:7-8, Romans 3:19-20, Romans 2:15, Deuteronomy 5:17-20, 1 John 3:15, Matthew 5:28, James 2:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 3:26)