Giving: Difference Between Man and God
Henry Omotayo
Giving: Difference Between Man and God (John 3:16-19)
Message No. 0517 | Twitter @GodandUs |
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In John 3:16, the Bible says;
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
In most cases when gifts are given, we notice that there are some established reasons or relationships behind the giving. For example, we give gifts to our spouses, children, parents and siblings, usually because we are all related and giving is part of what relations do. We also give gifts to people with whom we are not related by blood, but by other means, for example, friends, colleagues or others. At other times when we give, it’s by reason of empathy. Only few people give gifts at random, to people they do not know or are not related to, or for which there is no compelling reason.
In the case of God, the Bible says that He loved the world and therefore gave His only begotten Son. Right from here, we see a remarkable difference in God’s giving. First, He gave to the world – this does not mean that He gave to those who are already Christians (in fact, those who are Christians already have the Son), but God gave to those who do not know Him. In Romans chapter 5 verse 8, the Bible says that God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This means that there is no prerequisite of a relationship of any kind, to qualify for this gift. God had no reservation as to the region or country or nation or people that qualify or would qualify for His gift; He just gave, freely, without strings.
Next, we see that God did not just give an ordinary gift. The Bible says that He gave His only begotten Son. This means that God gave something that He had no spare of. Normally when people give, they consider the costs of the items they want to give and compare these to their affordability levels. It is not common that people would drive their only vehicles to other people’s homes as gifts or disconnect their only television sets and take them to other people as gifts. For God, He gave without a fallback plan. He gave without reservation and without regards to the cost of giving.
When the world gives, they sometimes think that the gifts are temporary or conditional. I’ve seen people take their former spouses or common law partners (or boyfriends or girlfriends) to court to seek the return of gifts they gave to them when they were still married or when they were still friends. The court always rules that what was given to someone else as gift, notwithstanding the relationship between the giver and the receiver, cannot be retrieved, because the law says that a gift is final. It does not matter if conditions change, a gift cannot be retrieved. This was the kind of gift that God gave to the world through Jesus Christ. It does not matter if we rebel against God in the future, He cannot un-give His gift.
However, free as God’s most important gift is, and as irrevocable as it is, there is a major problem if you don’t accept the gift. For human beings, if one person gives to another and the potential receiver turns it down, the worst that can happen is that the giver is disappointed. He or she would take the gift back home or give it to someone else and the case will be closed. For God, no, not so fast. There is a grave danger if anyone refuses or rejects the gift of God’s Son. In John 3:18, the Bible says:
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Does it mean that the gift is mandatory? No, of course, it isn’t. God gives everyone freewill to make choices. The consequences of those choices, though, must be borne by the choice maker, and, the consequence of the rejection of Jesus Christ is not funny. The condemnation referred to in the above passage means spending eternity in hell. To be clear, no one, convinced of the consequence of this, would still go ahead and make the choice. I appeal to you, therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ, that you do not delay a minute more, if you are yet to accept the gift. This gift is free, the price already paid. Please do not even begin to weigh what would happen if you reject the gift. There is no greater disaster, in heaven or on earth, than the result of rejecting God’s Son. Please surrender your life to Christ without further delays. You will never make a better decision. Stay safe, enjoy your week and God bless you!
PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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