Ephesians 2:8 - Hold out your hand...

"For by the grace you[all] are having been saved through faith.  And this not out of you, [it is] the gift of God, not out of works, in order that someone should not boast."

-I was dead.  I was a child of wrath, stuck in my sins, separated from the life of God and disobeying Him at every turn, unable to do what He wanted or please Him in any way whatsoever.  AND I was hurtling towards destruction as a result, lost for all eternity apart from my Creator, forever separated from all glory and goodness and beauty and light.  But God (that blessed but!) - He stepped in and saved me.  He rescued me... from me.  He made me alive with Christ and raised me up and seated me with Christ in glory, one day soon to be there forever.  No more dying or death, and no more living a life unable to bring God pleasure.  Just the opposite in fact!  And all this, every last bit, is by His grace.  Undeserved favor.  I have done not one thing, absolutely nothing to deserve to be saved, not in the least.  But I have done one thing, the one thing which is actually the key that unlocks the whole heavenly treasury and opens the floodgates of glory, the one thing which Scripture tells us is absolutely necessary in order to bring God pleasure - faith (Hebrews 11.6).  Belief.  Trust in the Lord, trusting that He is and that what He says is true, trusting that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, and specifically trusting and believing in the One He sent to pay the penalty for my many many sins, to be the Savior of the world.  By this faith in Jesus death on the cross I have been saved and rescued from eternal death!

-This salvation, this divine rescue from death and destruction - it’s a gift, a free gift straight from the hand of almighty God.  It’s the ultimate Christmas present from the original Author of Christmas Himself.  And as is true with all real gifts, it is totally free.  It is not out of us, and it is not out of works.  There is not a single thing we have to do or even can do to buy it or earn it (much less deserve it) in any way.  No need to pay it back ever, nor could we - spiritual beggers we, spiritually bankrupt in every way.  We bring absolutely nothing to the table.  Unlovable even, and yet He loved us and provided us with the one thing we needed more than anything else.  Ours is simply to receive it, to hold out our hands of faith, and let God pour out and drench us with life, His life, eternal life, all over us, over our past, our present, our future, completely and constantly covered over with boundless grace and mercy and love and acceptance and forgiveness and blessing and glory.  From the glorious One Who is breathtakingly good and Who makes all things VERY good - we get not a good gift, no, way better than good, the best gift.  Ever.  And it’s free.  Will you believe?  Will you hold out your hand and receive it?  Will you trust in Jesus?