2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
Do you realize that a gift, how small or big it may be, is practically not coming to its rights, unless it is accepted?
You may buy something beautiful for the one you love, you wrap it nicely..,
▪︎ but then leave it laying on the shelf, does it come to its rights?
▪︎ Or your loved one doesn’t accept what you wanted to give, does it then come to its rights?
▪︎ And can your loved one truthfully say that he or she has the gift, as long as he or she didn’t receive it?
▪︎ In a similar way there are many Christians who claim to have received the Holy Spirit, while they never truly accepted the gift from God.
▪︎ In a similar way there are also many Christians who claim to have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to prove it they fake speaking in tongues, but as soon as they leave the church building they live like they are satan himself.
True. God has gifts for you, but you need to accept them, before you can say you own them.
God has also given His Son to us, but before you truthfully can say that you have received Him, you need to accept.
You need to accept Him, as well as His teachings, and everything else.
John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
You know, God respects your choice.
He will not force His gift on you, but He does ask you to receive by faith the gift of His Son, Jesus, the Christ.
You too will not force anyone to love you, would you?
Because the love you will get in that case will be fake, will not be real love. And if you really love someone, you want that someone to really love you as well. If that someone doesn’t really love you, and only fakes it, you will, although you love that someone, let him or her go.
The same you may expect if your attitude towards God is fake.
▪︎ You are free to refuse God’s offer of love, mercy, and forgiveness,
▪︎ You are free to choose hell instead of heaven.
No matter how much He loves you.
He loved you enough to even give His own Son for you!
He will not force you. He leaves the decision to you.
And there are many
▪︎who choose not to accept the Christ,
▪︎who choose not to follow Jesus,
▪︎who choose to refuse God’s gift.
It is their free choice, but who ever makes this choice is lost.
Most people will gratefully receive a gift, when it is given in love.
To refuse a gift hurts the giver, and I think you cannot commit a sin that hurts the Father more than to refuse His love.
Prayer suggestions:
● If you are not yet following the Christ
Turn to Jesus and start following Him today
See: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl/2019/10/27/the-sinners-prayer/
● If you know God to be your heavenly Father
▪︎ Thank the Father for the enormous gift He gave in His Son.
▪︎ Thank Jesus by Whom we received forgiveness and eternal life.
Website: harryschoemaker.nl
Or directly to: devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
P.S. 1 : Are you interested to read more of these kind of messages?
Then follow me on Twitter: @schoemakerharry
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P.S. 2 : The coming two days there will be no devotional.
Tuesday, December 3rd, I have to go to the hospital for a post operation checkup, and Wednesday, December 4th, I have to go for a checkup on diabetes.
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