Expect The ExtraordinarySample

Expect joy

In Romans 6:23, we read: "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." There is one gift that we can receive this Christmas from God our Father; one that will last for ever and ever, and the good news is that it is free.

That gift is God's very son, and millions around the world and across the ages have received Jesus and found him to be the gift beyond price.

I think of the young boy who has recently joined our church community with his mom, abused and abandoned by her husband, who whispered to her one night last week, "We haven’t got a dad, but we do have Jesus!" 

Jesus is the life-transforming gift beyond words.

Across the globe, it’s the same story. In my travels with Tearfund, my husband and I have experienced the joy of those who have received the gift of Jesus: visiting poor farmers on the mountains of Peru, or jammed into a hot, ramshackle church in Ethiopia, or a makeshift church on a mountainside in Nepal. The poor receive Jesus so gladly and joyfully.

The question is, will we receive Jesus with joy too, not just on the day of salvation, but every day, as we turn to him and center our lives on him?

Ann Coles, New Wine