It’s all a gift. All that I have, however I strive to earn and get. If I am honest, so much is not me at all.
Some call what happens to us luck, serendipity, chance, not wanting to face the truth of a God, interactive in time and space…and in our lives. A God who loved enough to come and die. Loved enough to sacrifice everything, including His life, for you, for me and why? That we might see our disparate need and come to Him. That we might acknowledge what we hate to admit—our sin. We’ve goofed up more than lifted up, hurt more than helped.
We’d rather pretend self-confidence, boasting of self esteem—an ephemeral, transitional emotion, rather than deal with the basic reality of our need for God. There is something, someone outside of our physical realm. We call Him God. This God, as revealed in the Bible, is a God who cares, who loves us, who loved enough to take our place. He died. He conquered death and sin by rising again. He did it for you, for me.
In exchange, He asks, not demands, my trust, my life, my will that He might turn luck into blessings, pain and problems into promises fulfilled, and give peace. He offers forgiveness and hope to all who simply come. All who come find comfort, compassion and eternal love.
We can’t earn His good will. We can’t inherit it. We can’t steal it. God’s favor comes quietly, simply with the asking.
A gift.
The gift of love.
By Carolyn R Scheidies
Check out my devotional Listen! Who Me.