I'm just going to flat out admit something here today. Something that I think most of us will also admit to because I don't really believe there are very many "Bah Humbugs" out there. What I'm saying is, I like gifts. I like to receive gifts and I like to give gifts. Truth be known, I get more pleasure out of giving a gift than I do in receiving one. And again, I think that principle fits most of us too.
Not too long ago a friend gave me a "gift card" for one of our big "outdoor type"stores and I'm waiting for that special "something I can't live without" to come along so I can use it. I like the concept of "gift cards." I really do. They make gift-giving easy because they allow the recipient to pick out what they want rather than me trying to decide what they'd like.
It's the concept of these "gift cards" that got me to thinking about using them to teach a spiritual lesson and that's what I going to attempt to do here today. And, it's the "choice" part of the concept that will be the main thrust of this lesson. That part about us getting to "choose" the gift we'd like to receive.
Let's just jump right into the lesson. Have you ever thought of the cross of Jesus as a "gift?" I have and as you read this, I hope that you will too. If you run a Bible reference of the word "gift" you'll find several passages that show us that God, in a manner of speaking, gave mankind a "gift card." And the operative thought that we need to remember is, we have the "choice," we get to "choose" our "gift." Let me just amplify a bit on this concept of God's "gift card."
Let's look first at some of the "gifts" available for us to use our "gift card" on. If we read Rom. 5:15 or Eph. 2:7-8 we'll see that one of the "gifts" available is "grace." The important thing to notice about this particular "gift of God" is that it is in the form of Jesus Christ.
Another "gift" available is "righteousness." We can read about this gift in Rom. 5:17 and, again we note that, it too comes through only one entity - Jesus Christ. Now here's the really great thing about our choices. If we choose "grace" we also get "righteousness." And, along with "grace and righteousness" comes the ultimate "gift" - "eternal life." In Rom. 6:23 we read: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Now let's go back to what I said about the "cross of Jesus" being, in essence, a gift. All of the aforementioned "gifts" available for us to choose, to spend our "gift card" on are only available because of the "cross of Jesus." If God had not sacrificed His Only Begotten Son on that horrible apparatus, and Jesus had not been faithful to go to the cross, there would have been no "gift card" for us to use. Maybe we could say that the cross is the validation of the "gift card." It made it usable.
Remember me saying that the main thrust, the operative part of our lesson concept of "gift cards" is the "choices", the "choosing?" There is something I find very interesting about the giving of gifts and the choosing of gifts and here is what that "something" is: did you ever stop to realize that a "gift" is only a "gift" to someone if it's accepted? Something to think about, isn't it?
Yes, God has given mankind some great gifts, some of which like our food and drink (Eccl. 3:13) and our possessions (Eccl. 5:19) most people don't even realize that they are "gifts of God." They think that they earned them. But the greatest "gifts" made available by God are the ones we talked about earlier - grace, righteousness and eternal life. But, we have to "choose" to accept them. God does not force them on us. He provides us with our "proverbial gift card" and tells us that they are available.
Let me close with a little story (true) that helps illustrate the principle of a "gift" not being a "gift" unless it's accepted. Back in the 1800's, during the time when Andrew Jackson was President of the United States, a man by the name of George Wilson was convicted of robbery and murder. Following his conviction, he was sentenced to death by hanging.
President Jackson reviewed the case and a pardon was offered to Wilson. Apparently Presidential pardons aren't all that new and were not out of the ordinary even back then. What was "out of the ordinary" though, and brought much confusion and consternation to the judicial system was, that George Wilson REFUSED the pardon.
It was simply unimaginable that someone under a sentence of death would refuse a pardon from the President. Because this was the first time anything like this had occurred there was no case law to review. Debates raged between Justices over what to do about it. But one thing was certain, a decision had to be made. Here is the decision the Supreme Court finally arrived at.
Chief Justice John Marshall ruled thusly: "A pardon is a paper, the value of which depends upon its acceptance by the parties implicated. It is hardly to be supposed that one under sentence of death would refuse to accept a pardon. But if it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must hang."
A short time later his sentence was carried out and George Wilson was hanged. He was dead. Did he have to die? No! Then why did he? Because he refused a pardon.
Is it any stretch to see a "gift" as a "pardon?" Not in my book it isn't. God has offered man a "gift card." In light of our little story, could we even refer to it as a "get out of jail free" card? I think so. But the principle remains the same. It's there. God has made it available. All we have to do is accept it.
I'm going to borrow the words of Chief Justice Marshall here and say that the "gift card" is just a piece of plastic, "the value of which depends upon its acceptance by the parties implicated." WE are the "parties implicated." WE are the ones under a sentence of death - ETERNALLY! But we don't have to die. All we have to do is accept and use our "gift card."
Ron Covey
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