The gift

The gift
given
Jesus
He who died
in your place
took upon Himself
your sins, everyone

What have you done?
Is it all in vain?
Does the gift you received
remain unopened?
Is it likened to an empty box
with colorful paper
and a pretty bow
decorating a corner of your home
as if to say
“See what I have.”

What is it you have?
Have you opened the gift?
Have you shared its contents?

Or does the gift
just sit upon a shelf
gathering dust
with each passing day

Does the gift of Jesus
given and received
warm your heart
fill you with love
and compassion
and obedience

or does your heart
grow cold and numb
filling you with the ways of the world

Do you reflect God’s love
or Satan’s hate
in your life?

(c) February 8, 2016

II Corinthians 5:20-21, 6:1 – “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

II Corinthians 13:5-8 – “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that you are not disqualified. Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”

Galatians 5:25 – “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

I John 2:15-16 – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Read also Romans 1:17-32 and Galatians 5:16-26