The gift
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:20
I used to think that salvation was a free gift and after I received it, I had to go about my life figuring things out day to day. The reason I felt this way was because one of the first scriptures I learned was Romans 2:8 that says I am saved by grace not of works, salvation is a gift from God so I cannot brag about my good deeds getting me closer to God or eternal life. The problem with this is that the gift of Salvation had to be bought first before it could be given, which means it cost someone something. In this case, it cost Jesus not only His life, but also the punishment and death penalty for sin to get this great salvation.
Think about the last time you bought a gift for someone. Maybe it was for a birthday or Christmas or maybe it was just because you wanted them to know you were thinking of them and cared for them. You took some time to consider what gift you would get, then you paid an amount of money to get it. After that you decided what package you would put it in so you could offer it to the person you were giving it to.
Now think about their reaction. When you gave them the gift, your hopes were probably that they were excited or surprised by the gift. You probably thought this will make their day or at best you wanted it to bring a smile to their face. Suppose they were not interested in that gift and when you gave it to them it was set aside and they said “I’ll get to it someday.” Or maybe the person saw the gift and said, “No, that’s not for me.” You would be disappointed for sure. However, what if they were excited and opened it right away and said “Thank you for thinking of me” and then put it in a closet never to be seen or used again. The cost you paid for it was never a consideration and not just the money involved, but also the time and thought that went into the present. The gift still belongs to them, but it was never thought of again or even used for that matter. Ideally, when you give a gift it will be around at least for a little while and the person will consider how thoughtful the giver was every time they look at it and use it.
The gift of salvation is free to receive, but it was bought with a great price. The most expensive price ever paid for a gift. Today’s scripture says that you were purchased. You were bought by God. He paid the price of the blood of Jesus for you. Now He is giving you to the world as a gift to lead others to His love and salvation. Anyone can receive His gift of salvation, but now I consider that the gift is not free. I receive His salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven and He receives me as His child and the light of the world. His hope and expectation is that I will display this gift everywhere I go and tell everyone I meet that this great gift is waiting for them too. The fact is, I am so thankful for His gift that I want to tell the world.
Today I want to encourage you to thank your heavenly Father for the great gift of salvation that He has given you. Tell Him how much you appreciate that He thinks about you and made sure you didn’t spend eternity in suffering and pain, paying the price for your sin. Make a fresh commitment to Him that you want the whole world to know how good and loving He is. Then go out and show the world what it is like to be a child of God. Be a gift of peace and love in the lives that you come into contact with each day and then let them all know that God has a gift for them too, they only need to receive it!
Today’s scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 6:15-20
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The Daily Dose 