Friday, December 11, 2015

A Story of Love

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
Love.  The whole foundation of Christmas is on love because God so loved He gave… He sent His son to be born a man, to live and die on the cross for all of us, just because He loves us.  There is no catch.  It is a truly free gift that you do nothing to receive except claim it.  It is not like those deals everywhere that say Free – except for the shipping fee of $39.99.  No, nothing in this world is free anymore.  But God’s love and His gift of eternal life are absolutely free to you and me.  He paid the price.  He sent His son to die in our place, to pay our penalty. 

Max Lucado tells a story in one of his books about a young girl named Taylor.  Taylor was on a family ski trip when an accident claimed her life. Her parents made the difficult decision to donate her organs.  Over the course of a couple of years after her death, Taylor’s mother made contact with every person that had received one of Taylor’s organs and had been given new life as a result.  There was one recipient story that touched me deeply.  It was the story of her meeting the woman who received Taylor’s heart.  As a mother, I am sure that is why it may have affected me more, but such a profound lesson is to be learned.  Taylor’s mother contacted the woman and asked if she could come to her home to meet her and…she wanted to listen to her daughter’s heart.  The woman agreed and met Taylor’s mother at the door with a stethoscope in her hand.  Taylor’s mother put it to the woman’s chest and listened, once again, to her daughter’s heart beating.  Without that heart the woman would not be alive. 
God has given us a heart transplant with the sacrifice of His son’s life.  It is only through Jesus will we ever have eternal life, a true gift of love.  It is also only through His son’s heart in us that we can love others.  We are human but He is supernatural and it is only His supernatural love and grace and mercy that allow us to love each other. 
The greatest Christmas gifts ever – the love of God and the birth of a Savior.  Gifts given freely, waiting for you to claim. 

Scripture to Claim:
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7


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