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"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Yesterday we celebrated the greatest birth of all time that provided the greatest gift of all time to meet the greatest need of all time.
Many of us gave and received gifts yesterday, a custom of Christmas that for so many has become the main thing. The origin of giving gifts (at least in the Christian sense) probably goes back the gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus.
What is our response to the gifts we received yesterday? Some will likely be returned. They didn't fit, wouldn't work or weren't what we liked. Others will soon be forgotten. Others are appreciated but will wear out or break in a relatively short time. And there will be a few that we will cherish for many years, perhaps our entire life.
But not one even remotely compares to the spiritual gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gift we can all receive and share regardless of where we live. Jesus Christ is certainly the greatest Gift!
Paul concludes a section in his second letter to the Corinthian believers with today's marvelous exclamation of thankfulness. Many years earlier Paul had been converted and had moved from an attitude of hateful rejection to grateful acceptance of God's gift of salvation. Through the years his gratitude to God had grown. And that's the way it should be for all of us.
In this burst of praise he uses a very interesting Greek word to describe the gift. Linguists use the term "hapax legomenon" to describe a word or phrase that appears only once in a manuscript. The word "indescribable" translates "anekdiegetos", a word used only once by Paul in all his writings. It essentially means, "not expounded in full." Other versions use phrases such as "beyond telling", "inexpressible", and "unspeakable". One words it this way, "a gift too wonderful for words!"
Indeed that is the case with God's greatest gift. Today and everyday let us join Paul in thanking God for His truly indescribable gift of salvation!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Brooksyne's prayer: Jesus, Your name is matchless and Your worth is beyond human description. Words fall short, but we respond to Your Spirit with yielded hearts which speak of Your vital importance in our lives. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You today, my Lord and Savior. Amen.
In
our Christmas Eve service we used a dramatic presentation to illustrate
God's call that we light our world. Do you recognize the older lady in
the photo?
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552