Unwrapped

 

 James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (change), neither shadow of turning. 

Acts 2:38-39

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

Hebrews 2:3-4

"How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will."

Such a gift God above has given to us below! Everything God Is, Jesus Christ Is. John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." 

For Jesus Is God's Living Word, God's Perfect Gift. 

John 1:9 "The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. BUT to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God."

That's our Gift from God, salvation through Jesus Christ, by believing on the NAME of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, we become children of God. What Is the NAME of THE LORD? Wherever you find a verse that reads THE LORD IS, that is His Name. Whenever you read I AM, that is His Name.

The first one that usually pops into mind is Psalm 23:1 "The Lord Is my Shepherd." Therefore The Lord's Name is Shepherd. And because I believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, then I know that He Is my Shepherd, too.

There are many, many others of which I am still learning and studying up on. But here are a few of The Lord's Names to get you started:

• Exodus 15:2 The Lord Is My Strength and My Song
• Exodus 15:3 The Lord Is A Warrior
• Numbers 14:18 The Lord Is Slow to Anger Abounding in Love and Forgiving Sin
• Psalm 9:9 The Lord Is A Refuge For the Oppressed, A Stronghold in Times of Trouble
• Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer. My God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold
• Psalm 118:6 The Lord Is With Me
• Hebrews 13:6 The Lord Is my Helper
• Isaiah 49:26 I The Lord Am Your Savior and Redeemer, The Mighty One of Jacob

God's Gift to us, all of us. Unfortunately, some will not receive this Gift. Some will pick up the Gift, look at the pretty wrapping and set it down. Some will hold the Gift in their hands, open it, look at, maybe set it out somewhere, and never think of it again. 

Some folks will not even look in the direction of the Gift, ignoring it completely. Some will not even see the Gift, their eyes wandering to other trappings, their ears hearing greetings other than God's Word calling out their names. Sadly, none of them will receive God's Gift to them until they believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.
These are the people God is trying to reach. To reach with His Love, the mighty Love that more than covers sin: this Love completely washes our sins away AND Forgets the sin that has been forgiven! What an amazing Gift God has given us! And He wrapped that Gift in flesh, which Mary then wrapped in baby clothes and blankets. Jesus. The Gift from God that keeps on giving. 

• Giving Joy Unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8). 
• Giving Peace Which Passes Understanding (Philippians 4:7)
• Giving Love (1 John 4:7)
• Giving Hope (Romans 15:13)
• Giving Faith (Romans 10:17)
• Giving Sight to the Blind (Luke 18:42)

Let us open this Glorious Holy Gift which God has so graciously extended to us and receive His Perfect Word, Jesus Christ, into our hearts and our lives, with Joy and Celebration!

Unwrap Me

 

For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

I am a 'whosoever'. You are a 'whosoever'.

God's Gift of His Son to a lost and dying world is for everyone who believes, who is seeking, who is searching for something, someone to hold onto, to believe in, to hope, to be loved and give love to.

Every person ever born is a 'whosoever'. And, we each, on an individual basis, need to Unwrap the Gift of Grace through Jesus Christ which God has given. 

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: not by works, so that no one can boast.                    Ephesians 2:8-9

GIFT according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: Offering, Sacrifice, Present

GIFT something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone; something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned

Every good GIFT and every perfect GIFT is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

Did you see that last part? no shadows. There are no shadows in heaven, for God is the Father of Lights! I grin and grin and joy floods my soul! 

Do not neglect the GIFT that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders. 1 Timothy 4:14

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the GIFT of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.      2 Timothy 1:6-8

Every GIFT from God needs to be kept alive, not just the GIFT of Salvation through Jesus Christ, but he GIFT of the Holy Spirit, which we also receive from God. If that flame goes out, like the five virgins mentioned in Matthew 25:1-13, then we will lose what we have not gained. 

With the great GIFT of Grace, of salvation through Jesus Christ, comes all the other GIFTS, many of which we might not think are gifts. But when we are called to salvation, we are called to all the pertinences of such a GIFT.

The GIFT of Salvation through God's GIFT of Jesus Christ

The GIFT of Suffering for the Gospel

The GIFT of Service to Others, thereby serving God

The GIFT of Sacrificing what we want for what God wants

The GIFT of Surrendering our will, our desires for God's will, God's desire.

The GIFT of Eternal Life

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23

Let us unwrap this glorious GIFT which God has so graciously bestowed upon us! 

Repent and Be Baptized

"The sermon preached in the power of the Holy Spirit invariably commanded men not only to repent, but to be baptized with the Holy Spirit." --Cortland Myers, 1909



In Matthew 3 we meet up with John the Baptist again, who is now calling men to repent and be baptized with water, for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand", meaning near. But what did he say a few days on?

Matthew 3:11-12 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but will burn up the chaff with an unquenchable fire."

And who could do that? Jesus the only begotten Son of God, who must first go through a time of testing and temptations in the wilderness. Did He bring Himself there? No. Matthew 4:1 "Then was Jesus LED up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." To prepare for that part of His journey Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights.

When He was hungry, He was tempted by the tempter to turn stone into bread. When the devil brought Him to Jerusalem (the holy city), he tempted Him to jump off the highest pinnacle of the temple to see if God's angels would catch Him. When the devil took Him to a very high mountain, showing Him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory, the tempter offered Jesus these if only Jesus would worship him.

But none of these temptations did Jesus give into. Not just because He is God's Son, The Lord Jesus Christ but because Jesus had the Holy Spirit with Him. As an example for us, Jesus showed us that WE CAN OVERCOME TEMPTATION when we have JESUS, THE WORD OF GOD, and THE HOLY SPIRIT of GOD upon us! That is exciting news!

And what were the first words out of His mouth afterwards? Matthew 4:17 "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And while He made the rounds of the cities healing the sick, teaching in parables and raising the dead, He was forgiving sins, too, to the heart that sought Him in earnest.

Now, we move to Acts 1:4-5 "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Which brings us to Acts 2:1-4 wherein the 120 men and women are in the upper room fellowshipping and praying together waiting for the Promise of God to arrive. Fifty days after the Passover Sabbath had passed is the Day of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-16), the feast of weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10), the feast of harvest (Exodus 23:16), and the day of the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26).

Afterwards, these men and women went out into the city streets proclaiming the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is here in Acts 2:38 that we hear Peter say to us, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

But this Promise/Blessing is not given just to them/us, Acts 2:39 "For the Promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Whether 'afar off' means geographically or genealogically, that Promise is still active today; just as the call of God on our lives is!

So, today, we say "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. You and your children and those that are afar off."

----Oh, Father God, I repent of all my wicked ways, of the sins in my heart and my life. Have mercy on me and forgive me. Deliver me from an unrighteous lifestyle and lead me in Your Word. Give me Your gift of the Holy Ghost that I might walk and live in Your power. Teach me Your ways and Your will that I might never stray from You again. Fill me and feed me that I may not hunger for the things of this world but be content in You. Be glorified, O my God, in me. In Jesus' Name, Amen. And amen. ----