THE SEVEN GIFTS OF CHRIST.

In addition to the gift of salvation that God provided through His Son Jesus Christ who suffered and died and shed His blood on the Cross of Calvary to cover our sins, God continues to show and give His love to us in many other ways. Salvation is a free gift through the “love” of God. Yes, there must be cooperation from you. The following verses spells it out in very simple language.

Ephesians 2: 8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boost.

Romans 10: 9 -10 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Acts 4:12 – Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 3:3 – Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Dying to self is part of being born again; the old self dies and the new self comes to life (John 3:3–7). Not only are Christians born again when we come to salvation, but we also continue dying to self as part of the process of sanctification. Sanctification is setting you apart. As such, dying to self is both a one-time event and a lifelong process.

I have to ask, is this so much to ask as to gamble with losing out on spending eternity with such a loving God? What the world offers is temporary as what God offers is “forever.” Just ask yourself, what would it be like if the Spirit of God’s love was removed from your life? The answer is simple, it would be Hell.

If you are a born again believer, God is a giver of many, many blessing and gifts. I don’t know anyone that does not enjoy receiving gifts, especially the kind that God gives. His Son, Jesus Christ is also a giver of gifts. I prefer to call them blessings. Here are a few listed in the Bible.

Matthew 11:28 (NIV). ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 16:19 (KJV) ¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Luke 10:19 (KJV) Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

John 4:14 (KJV) But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water.

John 6:51 (KJV) I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh.

John 10:28 (KJV) ²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 14:27 (KJV) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The aforementioned verses are just a few of the blessings (gifts) that God gives to those that will give themselves to Him that created them. God has given you a free reign to your life. Everything you do is your own choice. God will in no way force His will upon you. I am sure that everyone that is reading this has made a choice in an area of their life that they regret because of the consequences they experienced. Maybe more than one. I know I have.

The Bible says that God hates pride. Is pride separating you from God and His blessings? Do you realize how much God loves you? He loves you more than you love yourself and with some that says a lot. If you do not have Jesus in your life, you cannot expect God to answer you or be with you. Also, His way is best way ever. I know because I have experienced His love, grace, mercy, and blessings in many ways during my life. I can only say I love you Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit and love to all.