Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also graciously give us all things?"
I am grateful for this verse as I am reading it today. But what is most humbling and mind boggling to me is that God doesn't have to give us anything. He has already sacrificed the most precious thing to ever walk this earth, all for our benefit, and yet he is still willing to give. Why does God do this?
Recently I have been blessed by numerous people who wanted to give. Not because they owed it to me or wanted something in return, just simply to bless me. To be precise, I have been the recipient of 1,440.00 dollars through various givers in the past two weeks. Have you ever anonymously given someone 500 dollars? You should try it some time. I cannot even describe how it feels to open up an envelope and find 500 dollars in it that is all yours, given to you for free. These kind of surprises have been popping up for me this Christmas Season. I am blown away that people are willing to give their hard earned dollars away, for the sake of blessing others. Would I have still survived this Christmas without the generous donations of 1,440 dollars? Absolutely I would have but I am learning that that is not the point.
God does this as well. In fact, I believe that God provided every dollar of that money to me through those generous people. So why would He still care to give to me after already saving my entire life through his Son? It would be as if I were sentenced to death for committing a terrible crime. Then, in order to get me out of it God sends his own son to come to the judge and willingly take the blame for everything. So although he is completely innocent, Jesus gets put to death. I then go free, and God spends the rest of my life providing for me and blessing me with money and gifts. It seems quite backwards. But this is the kind of God we have. There is no limit to his giving, simply because he delights in us. As Romans 8:23 points out, there is nothing He would not do for me.
God has been demonstrating this commitment to us from the beginning. Jesus could have been born to a wealthy family in a giant palace, a place truly fit for a King. But instead, God wanted to point out, there is nothing I won't do to bring my son to you. So there was no room for Jesus, not even a cheap hotel. He was born in a cave. Our King was not treated as royalty, the bible tells us he was homeless most his life. When he did go into a palace, he was treated like this; "And the soldiers led him away inside the palace and they called together the whole battalion...they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. They began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him." Mark 15:16-19.
There is no circumstance so lowly, no death that is too shameful, or torture so terrible that God would not do it for us. This year I am reminded that is what Christmas is about. Not just the incredible man we were given, but the way He was given to us. Thank you God for the most incredible present you gave to us that first Christmas night. We would be lost without your Son and without the one and only King.
Merry Christmas!!!!
I am grateful for this verse as I am reading it today. But what is most humbling and mind boggling to me is that God doesn't have to give us anything. He has already sacrificed the most precious thing to ever walk this earth, all for our benefit, and yet he is still willing to give. Why does God do this?
Recently I have been blessed by numerous people who wanted to give. Not because they owed it to me or wanted something in return, just simply to bless me. To be precise, I have been the recipient of 1,440.00 dollars through various givers in the past two weeks. Have you ever anonymously given someone 500 dollars? You should try it some time. I cannot even describe how it feels to open up an envelope and find 500 dollars in it that is all yours, given to you for free. These kind of surprises have been popping up for me this Christmas Season. I am blown away that people are willing to give their hard earned dollars away, for the sake of blessing others. Would I have still survived this Christmas without the generous donations of 1,440 dollars? Absolutely I would have but I am learning that that is not the point.
God does this as well. In fact, I believe that God provided every dollar of that money to me through those generous people. So why would He still care to give to me after already saving my entire life through his Son? It would be as if I were sentenced to death for committing a terrible crime. Then, in order to get me out of it God sends his own son to come to the judge and willingly take the blame for everything. So although he is completely innocent, Jesus gets put to death. I then go free, and God spends the rest of my life providing for me and blessing me with money and gifts. It seems quite backwards. But this is the kind of God we have. There is no limit to his giving, simply because he delights in us. As Romans 8:23 points out, there is nothing He would not do for me.
God has been demonstrating this commitment to us from the beginning. Jesus could have been born to a wealthy family in a giant palace, a place truly fit for a King. But instead, God wanted to point out, there is nothing I won't do to bring my son to you. So there was no room for Jesus, not even a cheap hotel. He was born in a cave. Our King was not treated as royalty, the bible tells us he was homeless most his life. When he did go into a palace, he was treated like this; "And the soldiers led him away inside the palace and they called together the whole battalion...they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. They began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him." Mark 15:16-19.
There is no circumstance so lowly, no death that is too shameful, or torture so terrible that God would not do it for us. This year I am reminded that is what Christmas is about. Not just the incredible man we were given, but the way He was given to us. Thank you God for the most incredible present you gave to us that first Christmas night. We would be lost without your Son and without the one and only King.
Merry Christmas!!!!
