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“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Each Christmas season over the entire month of December and beyond we are besieged by advertisements regarding gift ideas. Marketers know a jingle or slogan is helpful in selling their product. One Christmas advertising season a car company used the slogan, “A December To Remember” along with a catchy jingle encouraging us to surprise a loved one with a new luxury car for Christmas. The announcer states, "Let’s be honest, no one ever wished for a smaller holiday gift".

Well, I don’t suppose very many of our readers received a new Lexus for Christmas and truth be told it would certainly be a gift to remember and a costly gift at least to someone!

We are also besieged with "free offers" though we intuitively know (at least most do) that there’s almost always a catch. Various offers appeal to our desire to "get something for nothing" (which is alluring to our greed nature).

But today we consider a longstanding free offer that is genuine, still valid and available to all. And in fact it's something we receive for nothing, though it comes at a tremendous cost from our Benefactor who gave His all on our behalf.

The daily Scripture text was one of the very first verses I committed to memory nearly 50 years ago. (It is part of the "Romans Road", a description of the plan of salvation using selected texts from the book of Romans.)

Today let us focus on the words, "free gift". This translates the single Greek word "charisma", which is itself derived from "charis". Charis is a wonderful word normally translated “grace” in our Bibles. Of course many will recall the simple, yet descriptive definition of grace as, “unmerited favor.” Or a longer acrostic "God's Riches At Christ's Expense". It would also be accurate to translate this as “grace gift” and should be our greatest focus this Christmas season and during every season of our life. No other gift even comes close in value!

Today amidst the pile of opened gifts that you've had time to examine and evaluate, inexpensive or costly, meaningful or meaningless, this one stands out from the pile of material gifts. There are no catches and the offer stands ready at this very moment. In fact a great hymn has this line, "will you this moment His grace receive?"

There are no waiting lines and no limited supply. It is available to all ages, “to every nation and tribe and tongue and people” (Revelation 14:6). Millions now living and millions more now with the Lord can testify to its veracity and lasting value (for those who like to read reviews on products).

Near the very end of the book of Revelation we read, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).

What’s your response to the free gift of salvation, God's grace gift? We urge you to receive it today and rejoice that you have been chosen by God to receive this grace gift of eternal life through salvation in Jesus Christ!

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, it’s a fact that the vast majority want something for nothing. If they get their wish it might bring a temporal thrill, but it cannot satisfy the soul’s longing and it always has a perishable shelf life. When Jesus gave His all as a sacrifice for our sins You provided the free gift of salvation that is for all eternity. We cannot pay for our forgiveness nor can we repay Jesus for His sacrifice. We can’t save up for our real estate in heaven, nor can we hire an architect or designer, for Jesus is there now preparing a home for us. All we give in return is a heart surrendered to His plan for our lives here on earth that will be fully experienced in the great beyond. May our hearts be set on things above where Christ is seated at Your right hand, rather than things on the earth. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.