FREE GIFT

 - By Mrs. Margaret Palli

Isn’t it exciting to receive a free gift?  Everyone loves to receive gifts but few people like to give.  During Thanksgiving and Christmas season, we get lots of free gifts.  A friend of mine told me that she got a Head Phones set free (no catch) from Best Buy on Thanksgiving Day.  “How long is it going to work?” I asked her.  “I don’t care”, she said, “ it is free after all!”   We have an attitude of treating the gifts cheap since we don’t know their value.  But all gifts are not cheap.

Certainly, God’s gift of Forgiveness, Salvation and Eternal Life are not cheap, though we cannot evaluate them.  Forgiveness is a free gift   He forgave all our sins on the cross of Calvary.  No payment was necessary.  So easy!  Have you ever imagined, what it would be like, if it was not free?  Could we offer anything to God to earn forgiveness?  All our good works amount to nothing for God anyway, they are like filthy rags.  We would have been lost forever in our sins!!!  But God, through His Great compassion, sent His only begotten son to this world for us.  Jesus died for our sins, not when we changed our ways, but when we were yet sinners!  He did not demand anything from us.  Oh! What a Savior!!  Don’t you just want to thank and praise Him for His everlasting Love and Compassion?  We are made the righteousness of God. 

Thank you Jesus!!!

Now… after receiving the free gift of forgiveness and having been made the righteousness of God, are you ready to forgive your enemy from your heart or making excuses?

 “Excuses, Excuses, Tools of Incompetence, that build Monuments of Nothingness and those that Excel in them Excel in Nothing.”

… I will talk to her if she talks to me..

… Oh, she was the one who started, why can’t she come and talk to me first? She is a Christian too …

… He didn’t say sorry for all that he did….

… Oh, he is never going to change anyway, what is the use of talking to him, it is like a one-way traffic…

… After I forgave him, he kept on hurting me again and again, how long should I keep forgiving?...

… I already forgave her long back, she didn’t forgive me ….

… I forgave her but just want to keep her away so that I wouldn’t get into more

   trouble…

… It is so hard to forgive him. May be after a looooooooong time, not now…

… I can never forgive him in my lifetime…

Do you know what you are doing?  You are demanding a price to forgive your enemies when you have received it so freely from God.

Listen to this…..

God said, he loved Jacob but hated Esau.  Rom 9:13-14.  How come He loved the deceiver and hated the deceived? 

The deceiver (Jacob) fulfilled his responsibility of asking for forgiveness; therefore he was able to receive forgiveness from God, though not from Esau.  The deceived (Esau) also has a responsibility of forgiving the deceiver, which he did not fulfill. So he was unable to receive forgiveness of God.  Heb 12:16-17.  Here we see that both are equally obligated to fulfill their responsibilities.  The deceiver has to ask for forgiveness, whether or not he is forgiven – no demand.   The same way, the deceived has to forgive the deceiver, whether or not he was asked – no demand. 

Choosing to forgive with “no demand” is God’s way.  God extended his gift of forgiveness to every one equally but it is up to us to choose whether to receive it or not.

CHECK IT OUT: 

Do you really want to check deep into your heart to find out whether or not you have truly forgiven your enemy from your heart?  

Here is a test….

If you are not able to treat a person the way you treated her/him before your relationship has ever gotten messed up, you DID NOT forgive that person!!!

Do you want to choose to forgive?  This is the best season to forgive and get you completely free from the bondage of unforgiveness.  As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Great Forgiver of all people and of all ages, let us come to His Throne of Grace, with a humble heart of forgiveness, which is truly acceptable to Him.

Sorry – I didn’t tell you what you needed to do.  OK…  Buy a simple gift, go to your “so-called” enemy, give it to her/him and say “I Love You”.  Oh! sorry,  is your enemy out of the country?  No problem, send her/him a check with a note of “I Love You”.   YOU DO NOT HAVE ENEMIES… NO… NO MORE!!!

VICTORY:  Did you know what you have done just now?  You have crushed the head of Satan under your feet.  Glory to God!!

Freely ye have received, freely give. Matt 10:8.