Gift of gospel isn’t forced
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Editor,
Gift giving at Christmas is a multibillion dollar industry. Businesses make a major part of their yearly sales during the holidays.
Giving gifts is as old as human history. Eve gave Adam some fruit from the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:6). The Queen of Sheba brought gifts to King Solomon; she gave him 9,000 pounds of gold (1 Kings 10:10). David gave Goliath one smooth stone (1 Samuel 17:40). Not all gifts are good nor are they all appreciated.
God gave the greatest gift of all time when he gave us Jesus (John 3:16. One of the New Testament writers declares this about God’s gift to us, “thank God for this gift too wonderful for words” (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT).
I recall that during my younger years our family used to draw names for gift giving at Christmas. I always wanted my Mom or Dad to draw my name for one simple reason, I figured that they had greater resources than my siblings; therefore I could expect the very best gifts. It didn’t always work out that way.
God gave us Jesus as an expression of his love for us. Jesus said, “God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only begotten son.” God could not have given us a more definitive revelation of his love and grace, than he did that very first Christmas. God was not obligated. Sinners have no right to expect such unmerited favor. We were still God’s enemies (Romans 5:10).
A gift is never forced upon the recipient or it would cease to be a gift. The gift of the Gospel is not something to be pushed down someone’s throat. God’s gift is offered to everyone; it may be accepted or rejected (John 1:12).
Obviously, only those who have received God’s gift can fully understand the Christmas story and meaningfully sing the carols of Christmas.
Harvey A. Town
Polson
