The Ultimate Gift

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 

Watching some cartoons on kids' TV with my children one lazy afternoon, I was dismayed to find how twisted our values have gone. A music video was shown of a song "Chintzy" with a couple of famous cartoon characters portraying some gift-giving. A notorious friend was having his birthday and his friend gave him a personal gift, a picture of them together when they were young, framed, and obviously, well-kept and treasured. And the birthday celebrator's reaction? A song that goes along these lines... A picture framed, chintzy! A sweater you made, chintzy! Give me a Ferrari, a trip to Hawaii and throw in a million bucks!

Maybe some may say that this video was meant to be humorous. But I say, one doesn't have to sacrifice right values and principles just to show a sense of humor. Max Lucado laments in his book, No Wonder They Call Him Savior, "We are deluged by a distorted value system. We see the most valuable things in our lives peddled for pennies, and we see the cheapest smut go for millions" (p. 34). And for this reason, many cannot appreciate the precious gift that our Savior has done for us.

From a temporary home along the road, our family wants to share our joy with you.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). There is no better gift than this, that God Himself laid down His life for us mere mortals, that we may have life filled with His light and joy. Believing this with our whole hearts, we can be at peace in a world that is in enmity with anything that is good, right, and with God. This world may call it 'chintzy', but to be with God and be at home in His heart is the ultimate gift we can ever enjoy in this life.

Thank you, Jesus.