Free Gift!

I admit...I am all about the FREE STUFF! It seems every blog is offering something for free these days and frankly, it excites me! What I love even more is that I usually don't have to do much to get it...just leave a comment? Ummm...OKAY! Sign me up!

Well, I've decided to follow suit and offer something for free too! Well, it actually isn't from me, but from SOMEONE else. But, hey...it's still free! And the best part? I won't be doing a random drawing or picking a number...you ALL can have it!

If you don't mind, I'll be unwrapping this gift for you...but it's still yours if you want it. Let's start with reading the tag and undoing the bow...

The gift is from Jesus...HOLD IT! Now, for some of you, this is the point where you are tempted to click on the small 'X' in the upper right hand corner of the screen, forever deleting this post from your thoughts. Please hang with me a bit longer. I'm not judging or preaching 'fire and brimstone', I promise.

So, what's in the box?

Life. Mercy. Love. Sacrifice. Acceptance. Grace. Forgiveness. So, who's this gift for? EVERYONE...that's right. You. Me. Everyone. And the best part is that we haven't had to do anything to earn it. It's FREE! That's the whole purpose of a gift right? The giver doesn't give it to you with strings attached...it's free...all you have to do is accept it (well, and usually there's a 'thank you' somewhere on your part ;)

You see, what God longs for is to have a relationship with us. And, we are created to have a desire to search for HIM. But, unfortunately, something is standing in the way of that relationship. It's called sin. Again, hang with me here. I'm not wagging my finger at anyone.

I know what you're thinking, because I've told myself the same thing, "But I'm a good person! I'm a nice person!" But, I know that deep down I'm selfish. I'm out for #1. I lie. I gossip. I envy. I covet. I'm weak. Sometimes, I'm filled with hatred.

Do you want to know the blessing...the GIFT? The gift is that while I'm all those things...while I'm a sinner, Jesus died for me...HE died for you. HE didn't wait for me to be good enough, or nice enough, do all the right things or earn my way to Heaven. No, he died for me, for you, while I was (am) dirty, imperfect, selfish, weak. This is why I love HIM.
This is the ultimate SACRIFICE...THE GIFT my friends.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The gift is sitting in your lap. He's waiting to have a relationship with you. That's how much HE loves you. Won't you let Him in your life? All you have to do is unwrap it, accept it. There's no trick to it, but there's truth to it. The truth that despite how much I think I can do life on my own...that I can do it better, I can't...I need Him.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His own son (Jesus) that whoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.

Won't you consider what this means to you, what HE means to you? It's as simple as admitting you need Him.

Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

20 years ago someone was bold enough to share this truth with me. They prayed with me and I trusted Jesus with my life. I am forever grateful...that's why I am sharing this with you. Wouldn't it be selfish of me to keep this gift in my lap?

If anything I have said has resonated with your heart, then would you consider praying? Would you consider letting Him in your heart?

God, I confess that I need you. I know that I can't do life on my own. I know that my sin stands in the way of my relationship with you. Please forgive me. Thank you for sending Jesus to die as the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price of my sin. Thank You God that I don't have to be perfect, that You accept me as I am. Thank You God that even though I sin against you every day, you take me back. Thank you God that I am under Your grace and Thank You God, that when life seems unfair, You are there to remind me of Your truths. AMEN.

If you prayed that prayer I would love for you to let me know! I want to celebrate with you! You can e-mail me anonymously at nikolejackson@gmail.com. I would be happy to help you find a Bible believing church so you can grow in your relationship with HIM and meet others who are finding their way as well.

I want you to know that this isn't some magic bullet...or the 'easy button'. Life is hard. God doesn't promise that once you're in a relationship with Him you will never face heartache, trouble, or pain, or that people won't let you down. But, He promises to see you through it. He promises to to be there when you pray to Him. He promises you eternal life. He promises you that what you see in the world around you is not all there is to life. He is what life is all about.