Devotions

In the Bible, God gave many gifts to his people. He sent people, He sent signs, He sent callings, and all of these things were gifts. God gave Moses the gift of leadership and later gave Joshua the same gift. He gave Isaiah the gift of being a messenger, and the gift of vision. One thing that Moses, Joshua, and Isaiah all had in common is that they used the gift God gave each of them to be a gift to many people. 

In Genesis, God gave Abraham a gift. Though she had been unable to conceive her entire life, Sarah miraculously conceived Abraham’s son while she was 90 years old! In sending Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, he sent a way to continue their lineage for unending generations which led to the birth of Christ. All nations are still blessed, because of the gift God gave Abraham. 

All of these examples, from the callings, spiritual gifts, to the physical gift of Isaac, are examples of the greatness of God’s gifts. 

In the New Testament, God sent the greatest gift of all time. Just like in Genesis, He sent another son, but this was the Son of God. 

John 3:16-17 shows us what makes Jesus the greatest gift: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the word to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved.” 

So why did God send Jesus? Human nature and temptation caused sin to enter into a world that was once perfect. When Adam and Eve committed the first sin they cursed the whole earth and every generation which followed after them. The consequences were more than any mortal man could pay and atonement could only be earned through sacrifice — Jesus, God’s gift became our perfect sacrifice, settling the debt that we once held against God and exchanging them for His riches. A debt that could not have been paid by anything short of the grace and mercy of God. 

Through the Greatest Gift, Jesus, we have a gift that is still available to anyone who will believe - an eternal and secure salvation. The redeeming power of salvation is one that keeps us from eternal damnation to Hell, separation from God, makes us worthy before God, and gives us a blessed and undying hope of eternal life in Heaven! 

Nobody will ever give anything greater than Jesus, Our Greatest Gift.

When we were younger, we often sang the song “Jesus Loves Me.” The end of that first verse reminds us, “We are weak, but He is strong.” Another song that many of us learned as young children is “Amazing Grace.” The verses of that song are simple, yet profound. It teaches us that God’s grace is truly enough for everything we’ll face.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus says to the Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” There will be times in all of our lives when we are weak. My weakness may look different than yours, and your weakness may look different than someone else’s—but every person will experience weakness at some point. Jesus encouraged Paul, and Paul passed that encouragement on to us. It’s in our weakness that God’s strength shines through more than ever.

God steps into our struggle, showing His majesty and power over all situations, afflictions, and diseases—in a mighty way that only He can. When we fall short, He steps in to make up the difference. That is only possible because of His special grace.

Paul finishes verse 9 by saying, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” He is acknowledging something that we, as the people of God, often fail to do: when we are weak, we have nothing else to rely on except for God’s strength. The most marvelous part of that truth is this—our imperfect strength will fail, but God’s strength is perfect. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather rely on something that is perfect than something that is faulty!

So when you’re going through a time of weakness, remember: God’s strength is perfect, and His grace is sufficient.

Mosie Lister said it best:

“Oh, His grace is sufficient for me,

And His love is abundant and free.

Oh, what joy floods my soul,

Just to know, just to know,

That His grace is sufficient for me.”