What God Gives

I experience many birthdays during the year. I like to consider myself as a little bit of a gift specialist as my friends say my presents are what they didn't know they wanted, but actually did. I usually never get what they ask, because that's boring. I like a little bit of surprise...

However sometimes I just need to get a quick something for someone. If I can't find anything suitable at home already a short trip to a dollar store usually fixes the problem. I hate myself for getting something like a scented candle or a weird deck of cards, because I put no effort into it. It sacrificed me nothing, money wise and time wise.

Imagine God choosing his gift for us. It wasn't like "my son, yes I can spare him. He's going to come alive anyway. Make the humans happy and I can live in peace." And then sends Jesus down. NO! Jesus was a sacrifice. A gift that we cannot pay back. Today's world has changed the meaning of "gift". If we give something, we expect something back. In Japan it is more extreme. Some people won't accept a gift because it would be too much of a hassle to "pay" the gift back. That is not a gift at all. It is an exchange!

One more thing, I'm so glad God gave us something unexpected. Imagine God giving us something we asked for? Money, power, such small things compared to his sacrifice! We often complain that God doesn't give us what we want, but he has given us what we most need, a chance to be saved. Nothing can be better than that!