Day 8: Grateful for the Greatest Gift of All!
12How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him, 13even though I used to scoff at the name of Christ. I hunted down his people, harming them in every way I could. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14Oh, how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus. 1Timothy 1:12-14
The Apostle Paul KNEW that the greatest give of all is the gift of salvation in and through Jesus Christ! That’s why his words to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy, start with the statement, “How thankful I am…” How often do you think about the greatness of Jesus’ gift of salvation in your life? As you go about the day, do you pause to consider that Jesus—the only Son of the living God of the universe—came to earth to die on the cross so that YOU and I could receive the gift of salvation? While some of the common, everyday blessings of life may be easy to overlook or take for granted, how can we take for granted what Jesus has done for us? And yet, in the “busyness” of the day, or in the distractedness of the day, or in the PLOM (Poor little old me) disease of the day, we DO forget to be thankful for the greatest gift of all! Paul recognized that Jesus’ gift of salvation came to him although he didn’t deserve it in the least. In fact, Paul tells us that he used to “hunt down” God’s people and “harm them in every way” he could. Nevertheless, God had mercy on Paul, and not only that, but He used Paul to spread the Good News of Jesus throughout the known world of his day.
As you go about this day, will you recognize the greatest gift of all and share it with others? After all, once we know Jesus, the best way to say, “Thank You!” to Him is to tell others about the greatest gift of all, too! Think for a moment of who it was that let you know about the greatest gift of all. If you remember a specific person who was instrumental in that, why not call him or her up, or send an e-mail or letter to let them know that you are grateful to them for sharing the greatest gift of all with you!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
Why was Paul so grateful to Jesus? What was there about his past that made this gratitude so intense?
Take some right now to thank God for the greatest gift of all—Jesus, and consider who you will tell about that gift. Ask God to open the door for the opportunity to tell the person that He brings to mind!