The Unopened Gift

Remember the last time you received a gift-wrapped package from someone?  Picture the box, wrapped in iridescent white paper, and tied with a beautiful bow. When you were handed this gift,what did you do?  Did you open it immediately, eager to see what was inside?  Did you want to
personally thank the one who gave you such a gift?  I suspect that most would open the gift right away so the giver of the gift could see the pleasure on your face as you received this present. But did you ever take a beautifully gift-wrapped package, put it on a shelf or in the closet, and leave it there unopened?  I can’t imagine doing such a thing, can you?

After you gave a gift to a loved one, would you be offended if that person never opened it?  Would it bother you if you paid a good deal of money to purchase this gift, only to have it sit, unopened, on the shelf?  Or what if you hand-made a gift, and spent countless hours laboring, in love, to create something special?  Would you be upset if the recipient of this gift didn’t even open it?

The one who longs to give us good gifts is God, our heavenly father. We are quickly able to receive His gifts of love and peace. We may at times neglect to use these gifts, but we have opened them and have expressed our gratitude to God for His generosity.

There is one gift from God, however, that we often find difficult to open:  the gift of forgiveness. Psalm 86:5 (NKJ) says, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”  Unfortunately, many of us believe that our sins are just too terrible, so we cling to them. We know God forgives sins, but He surely won’t forgive this?   We just can’t force ourselves to untie the bow and tear open the paper to receive the gift of forgiveness. Sometimes the problem is that we can’t forgive ourselves. “How could I have ever done that horrible thing?” we might wonder, and the beautifully wrapped package stays on the shelf, untouched.

God paid a great deal to give each of us this gift of forgiveness. He spent a great deal of time laboring on this gift as well, thirty-three years, as a matter of fact. For thirty-three years God’s son lived as a man on this earth, away from His home in heaven. That’s a long time to work on a gift of love. And He paid a high cost for this gift, too: He paid with His life. Don’t you think He would want us to open this gift?

Father God, forgive me. Forgive my many sins, both those I have recently committed and those of long ago that I harbor in my heart. Help me accept Your gift, wrapped in love and the sacrifice of Your son. Help me take it off the shelf, unwrap it and accept the forgiveness inside.

I John 1: 8-9 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is
not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness.”

A Bouquet of Roses

Ladies, do you remember how you felt the first time someone sent you a bouquet of roses?  The gentleman who sent them thought very highly of you, and his gift made you feel very special and very loved, didn’t it?  You may have laughed or cried, but you certainly expressed joy at the beauty of the roses and the loving gesture of the one who sent them. 

Gentlemen, do you remember how you felt the first time you sent someone a bouquet of roses?  You loved that lady very much and hoped that this expression of your love would be pleasing to her and make her love you too.  You eagerly anticipated her response to your lovely gift. 

Do you enjoy looking at flowers or pictures of flowers?  Whether pictures, cut flowers bought from a florist or growing in your own garden, flowers are gifts from God.  He loves us very much, and he hopes we will appreciate his gifts and love him even more.  Just like a suitor who sends his loved ones flowers, God’s gift of fragrant flowers woos us to His side.  May we receive his gifts with joy, appreciation, and a desire to love him too.

Oh God, lover of my soul, open my eyes to the ways you woo me.  Whenever I see a fragrant flower, let me realize that this precious gift has come from You.  Let me respond with joy and gratitude to your countless gifts of love. 

Song of Songs 2:12-13 “Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land…. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”