ABUNDANT LIFE VISION
THE GIFT 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.” KJV.

Dear friends, I welcome you to another teaching this beautiful Sunday morning and I pray that we shall be truly transformed and look like our Saviour in Jesus name. Today, we will look at the topic; “The Gift”. Let me start by asking, what is a gift? Oxford’s English Dictionary defines gift as “A thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.” I would love to put it this way; “A gift is a free and beneficial present given to someone for use.” What this implies is that a gift should be something useful for the beneficiary and of course should be given for free. I am sure we are on the same page. If that is the case, let us take the person who gave the greatest gift of all time, God as an example as we learn from him the attributes of a giver.

1. A giver must have the capacity of giving, in order words, if you are not a giver, you cannot give a gift. God has the capacity of giving and that is why he gave us his one and only Son to atone for our sins. The first thing God gave us was life after forming Adam from the dust of the ground. Gen 2:7. However, this life was taken away from us because of sin and God had to give his one and only Son to give us back the life we have lost. He is an unrepentant giver as he has given us life twice. First at the beginning of time and the second time on the cross.

2. Secondly, you cannot give without love. 1 John 4:10 “This is real love-not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” NLT. God giving us the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus is because he loves us and does not want us to perish. In addition, God was not forced to give his Son to die for our sins. He gave him willingly because he is a cheerful giver. 2 Cor 9:7.
My friends, do not forget that I said a gift must be of use to the person it is being given to. If that is the case, what are the benefits of God’s gift of Christ to us?

1. To take away our sins: John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” This is one of the most important benefits of the gift of God to us, God gave his son for him to carry on his body our sins and wash it away for us to have a new beginning.

2. To put us on the path of life: John 14:6 “Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” NLT. The gift of God for us in Jesus is for us to walk on the path that leads to eternal life. There are many ways out there but Jesus is the only way to heaven as he said in Mt 7:14 “But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it” NLT. Therefore, find Jesus, find eternity.

3. To make us perfect: James 2:8 “Now Someone may argue, some people have faith; others have good deeds. But I say, How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds”. In the first teaching we posted here titled “God is Good”, we talked about being perfect as God. In the teaching, we explained that being perfect is to be without faults or defects. The message is coming out again, God’s gift is for us to be without faults or defects through Jesus. God wants us to show good deeds through our faith in him to others.

4. To give us peace: John 14:27 “I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left-feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught” MSG. God gives the gift of peace to us through Jesus who is the prince of peace and takes away our fears and doubts.

5. Access to his name and joy: John 16:24 “You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy”. Through Jesus, we have the grace of asking for anything in accordance to his will and we will receive it. This in turn gives us joy in him.

6. The Holy Spirit: One of the marvelous things about God’s gift through Christ is that it opens the door for other gifts through the original gift. This other gift we get from Jesus is the Holy Spirit. John 4:13-14 “Jesus replied, anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again 14. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life”. NLT. Here, Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit which will be given to those who believes and receives him as their Lord and Saviour.

Now, let me present the wonder of God to you, the Holy Spirit also comes in with gifts of his own for our benefit which include fellowship with God, growth in the faith and edification of the body of Christ. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed in 1Cor 12:8-10.

7. Grace to give to others: God wants us to receive his gifts and use them to give to others. By doing this, the gift (Jesus) will reach everyone in the world. the gift of Christ gives us the Holy Spirit who in turn gives us spiritual gifts for the edification of the body of Christ. On this note, anyone who has Jesus carries his Spirit and through his Spirit s/he can give spiritual blessings to others. Acts 3:1-7. In this scripture, Peter and John met a lame man who was at the temple gate called Beautiful Gate. There in verse 6; “But Peter said, I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk” NLT. Peter gave the man what he had which was Jesus. A lot of people will say Peter through the Holy Spirit healed the man but the actual truth is Peter gave the man a gift (Jesus) which is more than a miracle because that is what he had and all he could give.

Therefore, the question is what do you have that you can give, do you have Christ? Or do you have the things of the world? Do not forget that you cannot give what you do not have. If you want to have Jesus or you have lost this wonderful gift and you want to have him again, say this prayer after me; Lord Jesus, I come to you humbly and I confess that I am a sinner, save me and be my Lord. Wash away my sins and take me into your fold and give me the power to transmit your gift to others. Amen. If you recited the prayer, I rejoice with you and I welcome you into the fold. Do well to join a bible believing church as you begin your new life in Christ. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you dear friends.

If you have been blessed by this write up and you have questions, comments and contribution, you can contact Abundant Life Vision on the following platforms:
Email: visionabundantlife@gmail.com
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