A Gift Like No Other 

by Tracy Gordon 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” –Ephesians 2:8-9 

On May 25^th of this year, I received the most exciting call from my niece and her husband. “We’re pregnant!” were the words that echoed through the phone. This particular date happened to be my dear late brother’s birthday and I was emotional thinking how happy he would be at the news of becoming a grandfather. 

We are now six weeks away from welcoming this precious new life into our family. In a recent conversation with my niece she expressed how she has been emotional lately, feeling nervous about the delivery and feeling undeserving of the amount of happiness she is having in anticipation of her little one. After telling her how much she deserved every bit of this happiness, I found myself thinking about Mary and the doubts and fears she had upon her pregnancy with Jesus. Here she is pregnant, unmarried, and feeling undeserving. God has chosen HER to carry the Christ child! Somehow I don’t think it felt like she had found favor with God. Yet, that’s exactly how she found herself in this position. The only way forward was to trust God through it.

Once the trip to Bethlehem was over, the labor and delivery behind them, Mary held her newborn son amidst the chaos of the barn. She looked at his face for the first time…and so did God. Imagine the joy not only on Mary’s face but on God’s as well; to see His Son in the flesh, in whom He was well pleased. His only Son to be conceived in such a way. Jesus, who would come and save you and me from our sins so that we may live forever in relationship with Him. What a gift! 

None of us deserve Jesus’ precious gift of salvation because none of us are perfect. No matter how hard we try on our own, we’ve all done things we are less than proud of. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Every human needs to be rescued from themselves. 

When I think about the gift of salvation, I imagine Jesus saying, “I love you and I’m excited to give you this gift!” Jesus Himself is described as our Bridegroom (Matthew 9:14-15). He offers each of us the priceless gift of salvation, which leads to an incomparable life of a close, loving relationship with God. It’s a gift of grace, the undeserved favor of God, through our faith in Jesus.  

Although each of us can honestly say, “That’s a gift I don’t deserve,” Jesus paid for our salvation with deep love, full commitment, and the ultimate sacrifice. He gave His life to buy our rescue, and He offers it to each of us with great joy. Will you receive His glorious gift? What will you give Him this Christmas? How about your heart?

Lord Jesus, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, thank You for your priceless gift of salvation. We receive it and give You our hearts and lives, and ask You to help us live more like You each and every day. We give You all the praise, thanks, and glory for saving us. In Your Name Jesus, we pray, Amen.