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My Mother was easy to shop for. Her favorite color was purple and she loved hummingbirds. Whether it was for her birthday, Christmas, or “just because,” if a gift was purple or hummingbird-themed, it was perfect!

Gift giving can sometimes be challenging. There are many things to consider when choosing a gift. What does the recipient like? want? need? Is this gift the right size? color? style? And there is no guarantee the gift won’t be returned, exchanged, or worse yet—“re-gifted.”

But there is one gift that everyone needs, whether they realize it or not. Let’s look at what the Bible says about this gift:

This Gift was Given with a Particular Motive—Love.

Not every gift is “a gift of love.” When someone gives us something we may feel obligated to give them something to “even the score,” so to speak. We may sometimes give a gift in order to get something in return—but that’s not really a gift, it’s a bribe.

The gift everyone needs was given in love by God, as it says in John 3:16:

“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.”

This Gift was Given in a Particular Way—The Virgin Birth.

God’s Son, Jesus Christ, left Heaven’s Glory and was born into the Human Race, but He was unique. As He walked, talked, taught, and healed during His earthly life and ministry, Jesus was perfect—sinless. He didn’t just choose not to sin, He was incapable of sinning. He was Immanuel, “God with us,” as Isaiah 7:14 foretold:

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

This Gift was Given in a Particular Place—Bethlehem.

The account of Jesus’ birth in Chapter 2 of Luke’s Gospel mentions Caesar Augustus’ decree that there be a “census,” or “poll tax” throughout the Roman Empire. The money collected in this taxation was for the Emperor’s personal use. Therefore, this tax was collected whenever the Emperor’s “bank account” got low—usually once every 12 to 14 years. This tax required people to return to their ancestral villages. Since both Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David, they had to return to Bethlehem, the “city of David.” to pay the tax. Jesus’ birth in that Bethlehem stable was not accidental. It fulfilled yet another Old Testament prophecy, Micah 5:2:

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

This Gift was Given for a Particular Reason—Salvation.

In the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John—Jesus taught with authority and astonished His hearers. He also healed all kinds of sickness and disease. But Jesus did not come to be an itinerant teacher or miracle worker. Ultimately, as Luke 19:10 tells us, Jesus came:

“To seek and to save that which was lost.”

The “Sin Stain” is deep in every Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve. Nothing we do can change that. Even the sacrifices required by the Old Testament Law of Moses couldn’t cleanse or save anyone. The blood of those sacrifices only covered the people’s sins and pointed ahead symbolically to the One, True, Sacrifice for Sin—Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. As John the Baptist, Jesus’ “forerunner,” or “announcer,” said in John 1:29:

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Suppose I sent my Mother a crystal hummingbird paperweight for Christmas many years ago and she sent it back to me unopened. Did she accept the gift? No, she refused it. Suppose, after her death, I found the un-opened package in the back of her closet. Did she actually possess the gift? No, she rejected it, even though it had been sent with love.

Friend, don’t refuse or reject God’s gift of His Son Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says of Jesus:

“Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Admit your sin. Humbly and sincerely ask Jesus to save you and He will.

Blessings to you! – Daniel E. Benton

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